


Ripples in the Sea

by Synchronized_Sinning



Category: One Piece
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, One Piece Drabbles, One Shot Collection, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-08-13 08:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7968835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synchronized_Sinning/pseuds/Synchronized_Sinning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles and one-shots from various tumblr and request prompts. Joint written by Akatsuki Celeste and Mithril Lace. Gen and Romance galore. (May include multiple ships. Each chapter will indicate the pairing, if any, majority will probably be Law x Luffy and Marco x Ace. List of possible pairings will be on our profile)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who the Hell Did This To You? (Lawlu)

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello and welcome to the drabble/tumblr prompt/request collection for Akatsuki Celeste & Mithril Lace! All of these chapters will be stand-alone prompts and one-shots (some will be very small drabbles) based on the messages we received through our joint tumblr account, Synchrosin. We may take requests via reviews too, but for the most part we're going through pre-made prompts. 
> 
> From Shishiswordsman's request: "Who the hell did this to you?" with Lawlu

* * *

**_Ripples in the Sea_ **

**_Who the Hell Did This To You? (Lawlu)_ **

* * *

The clinic was mostly silent. After all, the front desk had closed down over an hour ago, and almost every practitioner had already gone home for the night.

So of course, despite the fact that he was only a part time volunteer, moonlighting from his main job as a surgeon at a prestigious hospital across town, Law was still in his office.

It wasn't that he had any work to catch up on or anyone he was trying to avoid. In fact, he knew he was pushing it. Lami was expecting him home soon, and even though there was nothing wrong with his car, Rocinante had texted him three times to make sure he didn't need a ride. Still, it had been almost three weeks since the last time his after-hours visitor had climbed in through his window, and damn it all if he wasn't _worried._

Maybe it was a good sign. Law couldn't keep treating the little delinquent - for _free,_ at that - every time he got into a fight. The more Law validated his habits, the more he'd keep thinking there was nothing _wrong_ with them.

No sooner than he'd had that thought did he hear the telltale scraping and bumping of the clumsy teenager climbing in through the window. They were on the ground floor, but his delinquent visitor happened to be on the short side.

"I thought I told you to stay out of trouble, Luffy," he spoke the words in a neutral tone.

The answering giggle made his expression soften, even as he kept his back to the window and pretended to be organizing files. No matter what state the boy showed up in, he was always smiling or laughing it off. It was a struggle to keep from smiling back these days.

"Sorry, sorry! But I didn't start it this time. Can you patch me up before I go home? My brothers'll worry if they see me like this."

Law sighed. He was tempted to say no - after all, he was trying to encourage Luffy to _give up_ his delinquent behavior, and he wondered if his willingness to treat him so easily was simply enabling him. But he knew he wouldn't. Law never turned him away. Wasn't that the entire reason he was still _there_ , because earlier that day he'd wondered if maybe he wasn't leaving a little too early, if maybe Luffy had been showing up needing help and all he'd been finding was a dark room and a locked window? So he'd stayed, coming up with excuses and trying to convince himself that he wasn't staying _just_ because of one teenage boy with a penchant for getting into more trouble than any single person rightfully should.

And here Luffy was.

"Have a seat," Law said, keeping his eyes on the charts as he shifted them around in the file cabinet, trying to sound nonchalant. "I'll take a look as soon as I finish this up."

"Okay!" The sound of crinkling paper indicated Luffy had taken his seat, but no sooner than he'd settled on the examination table did he hiss softly. "Please hurry, though. It hurts a lot, and I'm making a mess."

Law paused, holding the files over the drawer as he processed what Luffy had just said. Making a mess? He usually only made a mess when there was… blood. He gave another sigh. If Luffy was _bleeding_ , then he probably shouldn't keep him waiting. So far Luffy had avoided any hospital-worthy injuries - and surely he'd actually _go_ to the hospital if he needed that kind of treatment, wouldn't he? - but it went against everything Law stood for as a doctor to put off treating any sort of bleeding wound. He slipped the file into the drawer and closed it, turning towards Luffy. "All right," he said. "Let's see what…" He trailed off as he looked at the boy now sitting impatiently on the exam table.

Luffy lifted his head to smile, his signature straw hat dangling from a cord around his neck. The front of his hoodie was completely soaked with blood, obvious bruises and scrapes on his face. He was slightly hunched over, hugging his stomach.

It was beyond any injury he'd ever come in with before - and the path from the window to where he now sat was smeared with blood.

Law's eyes widened, staring at Luffy in shock and horror. This was the first time he'd ever seen Luffy injured to this extent, and it was worse than he'd expected when he'd first turned around. He cursed under his breath and hurried over to the exam table, grabbing the cart of first aid materials and pulling it over with him.

"Take your hoodie and shirt off," Law instructed, though he was already reaching out to help him. He wasn't going to be able to treat him without seeing the actual injury.

Luffy grimaced, but he didn't argue. He had, after all, agreed to do whatever Law told him if he wanted Law to treat his injuries back when they'd first come to their little arrangement. It took some time to remove the hoodie because he kept trying to do it without removing his hat, but once both garments were out of the way, he plopped his hat back onto his head and looked at Law. His chest had several scrapes as well, bruises forming down his left side and abs, but the worst injury was a series of three gashes on his stomach, all bleeding profusely.

Law drew in a sharp breath, his eyes going to the gashes. The rest of the injuries could wait - he had salve for the bruises and he'd have to disinfect the scrapes - but the gashes were deep enough that they might require more than just stitches. He wouldn't know until he cleaned them and took a closer look.

"Lie back," Law instructed, placing his hand on Luffy's shoulder and putting pressure on it to emphasize his point. His gaze remained on the gashes, and a surge of anger rose up inside of him. Delinquent behavior or not, Luffy was always trying to _help_ people. That was how he got into the majority of his fights - standing up for others. And even after the fights were over, and he was coming for treatment, he was always _smiling_. The fact that someone had _dared_ to injure him to this extent…

"Who the _hell_ did this to you?" Law demanded, his eyes flashing with anger.

Luffy had allowed Law to push him back, wincing and gripping the fragile tissue on the examination table. He was clearly trying not to voice his pain. "Oh, don't worry about it. I won. I just need to get fixed up before I go home."

"Don't worry about it?" Law repeated. "You're bleeding enough that I can't just fix this with bandages - I'm going to have to give you stitches, Luffy." He pulled a clean cloth out of the supplies and began to gently dab at Luffy's stomach, soaking up the blood around the gashes so he could examine them. Once he was satisfied that the wounds weren't bad enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, he set the gauze aside and moved to get Luffy something for the pain. He turned back to him, syringe in hand. "What did they use, a knife?"

"Three knives," Luffy boasted, grinning through the pain. "But it's okay. He didn't hurt my friend."

"No, he just hurt _you_ ," Law muttered, but he knew that wouldn't bother Luffy. It _never_ bothered Luffy, as long as the person he was helping or defending was unharmed. "Hold still." He pressed the syringe against Luffy's arm, administering the painkiller without hesitation. He only needed to warn Luffy because the teen had a habit of moving around when Law was treating him; other than that he never flinched.

Luffy made a face at the initial shot, but once it started working, he relaxed and smiled, eyes glazing over. "I'm strong," he informed Law. "I don't like it when other people get hurt."

Law's expression softened. "I know you don't," he said, setting the syringe to the side and picking up his stitching equipment instead. "So what happened this time? How did you end up fighting someone with _three_ knives?"

Luffy's smile widened - due in part to the painkillers - and he immediately launched into detail about his latest exploits. He squirmed a little from enthusiasm, but Law was firm in holding him down to finish his work.

Law didn't interrupt Luffy's ramblings - it kept him occupied while he did his work, and all Law really needed to do was listen. And as he listened he found his anger calming; it was still there, but diminished, pushed back so that he could focus on Luffy himself. He worked steadily, deftly stitching up one gash, then the other two. Finally he tied off the last stitch. "All set," he said. "But _don't_ sit up - I still need to put the bandages on." He kept one hand on Luffy's chest to make sure that he didn't abruptly sit up - knowing Luffy, he'd try to jump right to his feet.

"Okay. But then I have to go home," Luffy informed him with a big smile, eyes fluttering shut. "Sabo's cooking dinner, and Ace doesn't have to work tonight…"

"Then I'll make this quick," Law promised, his lips curving up into a small smile of his own. He took the bandages and affixed them into place, making sure that they were secure because he knew they were the only thing that would keep Luffy from messing with the stitches. It didn't take him long to deal with the minor injuries after that - applying the salves, disinfecting the scrapes and bandaging the wounds that needed it - and Luffy never once protested or tried to get up.

Finally, Law finished and stepped back. "All right. How does that feel - is it uncomfortable?"

"Nope!" Luffy opened his eyes again. "You always make me feel better. Chopper said the stitches you did on my arm last month were really good. And Chopper's gonna be a doctor, too! So I know he's right." He lightly pat his stomach, over the bandage. "I can always count on you, Torao. Thanks!"

Law felt a rush of warmth at Luffy's thanks, which he quickly tried to cover up by turning to arrange his supplies, setting aside the used ones for sterilization or disposal. "Just try to avoid getting sliced up by another knife next time, alright?" he said, knowing full well that Luffy would do what Luffy would do, and that included getting more fights if that was what was needed to protect people. And Law knew that he would continue to keep his window open for Luffy to come to him when he needed help.

"Come on," Law said, turning back to him. He reached out and brushed Luffy's hair back from his face. "Let's get you home."

Luffy's grin lit up his entire face. "Shishishi! Okay!" He leaned towards Law's hand for a moment, which caused Law's fingers to brush his cheek, too.

Law's fingers stilled, and he looked down at Luffy for a minute before drawing his hand away. He needed to grab his keys, after all. "You know," he said, glancing at Luffy again as he did so, "the next time you're hurt that badly, you don't need to climb through the window to find me. Call me - I'll come to you."

"Call you?" Luffy echoed. "I checked my phone, but your name's not in it." His response was so earnest and bright, there was no way he was messing with Law - he sincerely could not figure out how to call Law if he couldn't find his name.

Law chuckled at that. "Let me see your phone," he said, holding out his hand for it. "I'll make sure that my name is in it - then you can get a hold of me whenever you need me."

"Torao really is the best," Luffy decided, reaching into his pocket to find his phone and hand it to Law. "You should call me too, if you ever need help. I protect my friends."

"I know you do," Law replied, and the smile that he gave Luffy was sincere and warm. It might be the primary reason that Luffy got hurt, but it was part of what made Luffy who he was. He picked his own phone up from his desk, and after a few pushed buttons, he had his number in Luffy's phone, and Luffy's in his. He slipped his own into his pocket and then handed Luffy's back to him. "There. Take a look - my name's there now."

Luffy scrolled through the numbers, eyes lighting up when he saw Law's name listed under 'Torao'. He wouldn't have known to look in the L section of his contacts. "Now I can call you whenever I need to!" He pocketed his phone, then tried to jump up off the table.

"Wait!" Law reached out, grasping Luffy's shoulder with one hand and placing the other on his chest to keep him from completing that jump. " _Careful_. You don't want to pull the stitches."

"Oh," Luffy lifted his head, looking up at Law with an unreadable look. His hand came up to cover the one on his chest, holding onto it. "Thanks. I wouldn't want to ruin the stitches you did for me."

Law looked down at Luffy, at their hands against Luffy's chest. He didn't pull his away. "Let me give you a ride home now," he said. "Your brothers are probably wondering where you are."

"Okay," Luffy agreed - but he made no move to try and get up on his own. He was being mindful of his stitches now, after all.

Law released Luffy's hand, then turned, crouched and leaned forward. He didn't say anything - he figured his intention was self-explanatory.

Luffy wasted no time in climbing onto Law's back and wrapping his legs around Law's waist. He seemed to be supporting most of his weight with his legs instead of his arms, letting his head rest on Law's shoulder. Almost immediately, he lifted his head and frowned. "My hoodie and shirt are still dirty…"

"I'll have them cleaned for you," Law said, straightening up once Luffy had a secure grip. "I have a clean shirt in my car that you can borrow in the meantime. It'll be a little big on you, but it'll fit otherwise."

Luffy settled down at those words, closing his eyes. "Can I sleep now, Torao? I'm sleepy. I trust you to get me home."

Law knew that he could find Luffy's address in his phone, so he nodded. "Go ahead," he said. "Leave everything else to me, Luffy."

Satisfied with that answer, Luffy fell asleep in an instant. His hat slid off his head, resting by the cord around his throat again. He mumbled Law's name - or at least his nickname - and smiled in his sleep.

Once he was certain that Luffy was settled, Law carried him from the room to the car, somehow managing to turn out the lights and lock up even with Luffy on his back. Then he headed for the car - after all, he'd promised to deliver Luffy safely to his brothers. There'd be plenty of time afterwards for him to track down whoever it was that had attacked Luffy and make sure that he never thought about going near him again.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading!


	2. Ace's Birthday (Gen, Marco x Ace flavored)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews and faves/follows! Here is our next prompt, sorry it was a little later than intended and hopefully this is what you were looking for.
> 
> The prompt: As today my birthday. It's a little bit cliché, I would like a real detailed Fic about Ace's birthday, that handle his issues! either when he was young with Luffy and Sabo, Dadan, Makino,deal with it being his mother's death anniversary, how to make it a happy day! Garp telling him about her/visiting her grave. Or While Ace in the Moby Dick, they try to throw a party for him, conversation with Marco about it. And some kinda celebration! Interaction with the crew. Maybe Luffy appearance! roseanne
> 
> Happy Belated Birthday, Roseanne!

 

* * *

**_Ripples in the Sea_ **

**_Ace's Birthday - (Gen, Marco x Ace flavored)_ **

* * *

It wasn't often Ace found himself avoiding a party. Ever since he'd grown to view the Whitebeard Pirates as his family, he'd never had a reason _not_ to attend. There was never a shortage of alcohol - not that Ace had a particular fondness for it after the "Flaming Christmas Pants" incident - and the food was on a level all its own. Sometimes, Ace wandered if Thatch had started cooking all his favorite dishes just to entice him to be more social.

There was some truth to the worry that he was keeping to himself. He hadn't even been with the crew for a full year yet - but he honestly hadn't _hidden_ from a party or a social gathering before.

Until now.

It honestly hadn't occurred to him before that becoming a division commander meant anything special for his birthday. He was used to a celebration at the start of each month for every crew member whose birthday fell in that month. The exceptions were the commanders - and of course, Whitebeard himself.

Until he'd actually arrived at the party, he hadn't realized it was different from the last several monthly celebrations. The decorations had seemed less neutral and more to his liking, and the entire menu had hosted nothing but his favorite foods, but he'd initially chalked that up to Thatch's whims and his own personal luck.

The giant cake with his name on it, however… that was anything _but_ his luck.

He ducked his head and pulled his legs in closer at the sound of someone calling his name. He'd hoped everyone would be distracted enough - or at the very least, _drunk enough -_ to overlook his absence. Thankfully, they only called his name a few more times before giving up and re-joining the festivities. As soon as the echoes of footsteps in the hall quieted again, he relaxed.

"Do you plan to hide in the infirmary until the party is over, yoi?"

Ace yelped, jumping. Reflexive flames danced along his arms and illuminated his cozy little hiding place until he flailed his way out. The supply closet he'd used as a safe place a few times when he'd still been trying to take Whitebeard's head smoked a little in the aftermath as he crashed to the floor and landed at Marco's feet.

The infirmary was dark - no one had been seriously injured lately and the party had drawn everyone to the deck - but Ace could still see the concern in Marco's eyes from his position on the ground.

"We already cut the cake. Do they _really_ need me up there?" Ace asked, averting his eyes. Even without looking he knew Marco was offering him a hand, It took a moment before he accepted it and allowed Marco to pull him to his feet.

"The party _is_ for you, yoi," Marco pointed out.

Ace shook Marco's hand off, extinguishing the remaining flames on his upper arms. "I don't feel like partying."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Ace hesitated, then shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Then you won't mind talking about it, yoi."

Ace sighed in defeat, but he couldn't even pretend to be annoyed. Not when he caught sight of Marco's playful grin.

"We're going to need a better hiding place, then," Ace relented.

Marco inclined his head, leading the way out of the infirmary and trusting Ace to follow. The path to Marco's room was surprisingly clear, and the only person who saw them happened to be drunk enough that he didn't seem to notice or care.

When they reached Marco's room, Ace pushed past him to jump onto the bed, plopping down like it was his own. A habit he'd picked up from Thatch. Marco sat on the desk with a wry smile, crossing one of his legs over the other in a casual manner.

"Do I have to coax it out of you, or are you going to start talking, yoi?" Marco asked after a few moments of Ace settling in and avoiding eye contact.

Ace sighed again, tucking his hands behind his head and getting comfortable. "It's just… the party. It was really nice of everyone to want to throw a party for me, but it's… not really a day I celebrate. At least, I didn't plan to celebrate it for a long time."

"Why not?" Marco asked, tilting his head to one side as he regarded Ace. Ace certainly wasn't the first person on the ship to not be thrilled about the prospect of a birthday party, but something about the way he said it told Marco that _his_ reasons for it weren't typical at all.

"I only celebrated it for my little brother," Ace mumbled. "I didn't tell you about him, did I?" His expression softened. "He's three years younger than me. He ate up all the birthday hype when we were kids so he insisted we keep celebrating after-" he cut off, trying to disguise it as a cough. "After we celebrated his, I mean. Ugh… it all sounds so stupid when I try to say it out loud."

Marco raised an eyebrow - he was pretty sure that _wasn't_ what Ace had been about to say, but he decided not to push it. He wanted Ace to open up to him, but he didn't want him to feel like he was being _forced_ to.

"Let me guess," Marco said with a grin. "Your little brother's the type of person who usually gets his way, even when he's not trying to, yoi?"

Ace snorted. "He always _tries_ to get his way," he joked with a fond chuckle. "And I guess I let him. I'm his big brother, you know."

"And that is what big brothers do for their little brothers, yoi," Marco agreed with the wisdom of being an older brother himself. He smiled at Ace - just in those few brief sentences, Marco could see how much Ace loved this brother of his. "How long has it been since you last saw him?"

"A year," Ace answered with a smile, a softness in his eyes that he'd never shown to his new family. "Just about, anyway. I set sail when I turned seventeen - he saw me off."

"He didn't want to come with you?" Marco inquired. That look in his eyes - it intrigued Marco, and he found himself wanting to see it more often. If that meant talking about this little brother, then Marco gladly would.

"Oh, he did," Ace snorted. "But he's just a kid. He doesn't get to set sail until he turns seventeen too." He sat up, grinning over at Marco. "You'd love my little brother. It's impossible _not_ to."

"Here's hoping I'll get a chance to meet him then, yoi," Marco said, returning Ace's grin with one of his own. Then his voice grew soft. "So why is it that you were willing to celebrate your birthday for _his_ sake, but not your own?"

Ace's grin faded, but the fondness in his eyes remained. He pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed and leaned forward a little. "My birthday isn't exactly a good day for me. But birthday parties made Luffy happy. He and Sabo always-" he abruptly broke off, looking troubled. "Ah, sorry… Sabo was our other brother. It was his idea to celebrate Luffy's birthday even though we never celebrated our own, and after that… well, Luffy wanted us to have special days too. It made him happy thinking we felt as good as he did on his birthday. Honestly, though? We mostly felt happy seeing _him_ happy. Does that sound stupid to you?" Ace gave a shy, boyish grin at the question, bringing his hand up to rest over his left arm.

Marco chuckled, shaking his head. "Not at all," he assured him. "Remember, I'm _also_ an older brother, yoi." Even as he answered the question, though, he noted the change that had come over Ace. The fondness in him remained, but there was something more to it than that. He hadn't missed the way that Ace had cut himself off after mentioning Sabo - or the way he'd immediately switched to speaking about him in the past tense.

Ace nodded, but then his smile dimmed. "Anyway, my birthday was always about celebrating for Luffy," Ace murmured, looking to his lap. He hesitated, like there was something more to say, and for a moment his expression seemed so _lost_ and uncertain. It passed before Marco had a chance to question him, and when he spoke again, it didn't seem to be about the same subject. The sadness lingered, but it wasn't as prominent. "Before I had that…" Ace lifted his head again. "Promise not to get all mushy or sympathetic?"

Marco looked at Ace, steadily meeting his gaze. "I promise," he said, even as his heart clenched briefly at the sadness that lingered in Ace's eyes.

"My mother died giving birth to me." Ace looked back to his lap, fidgeting. "I never knew her or anything, obviously, but she died so I could live. I never saw a point in celebrating that."

Marco's eyes widened, lips automatically parting to respond - and then he stopped, remembering the promise that he'd just made about not getting mushy or sympathetic. Even so, it showed in his eyes - he could stop himself from saying the words, but there was no hiding the emotion itself.

He took a deep breath. "So that's why you were okay with the idea of a group celebration for everyone, but not one just for yourself, yoi?"

"I'll get over it," Ace joked, forcing a small laugh and looking up. "I mean, it makes them happy, right? Thatch went to the trouble of making all the food I like and stuff… and I like the parties, I do! It's just…" he smiled at Marco, strained. "I forgot how to celebrate for _me."_

Marco's expression softened. "No need to rush it, yoi," he said. "No one's going to fault you for needing a little space - these parties always wind up getting crazy anyway."

"The last time I was this surprised by a party, I was eleven years old," Ace recalled, his smile becoming less strained. "I never told Sabo or Luffy what day my birthday was, but they asked Dadan. My gramps told her since she was the one stuck raising us." He chuckled wryly, shaking his head. "When I walked into the house that night, they'd put up decorations. Makino came up from the village to make food, and she'd even made me a cake. Everyone was celebrating _me,_ and to be honest, I almost punched Sabo and ran because he didn't stop it from happening. But…" Ace gestured helplessly, and this time his smile reached his eyes. "Everyone was happy."

"And that made _you_ happy," Marco observed. It showed in the way Ace's eyes shone, in the warm smile on his face - yet another expression that Marco would have liked to see Ace continue to wear. "So you continued celebrating together after that, yoi?"

Ace glanced away, smile fading again. "That was the only time we celebrated my birthday together."

Marco looked at Ace for a moment, opening his mouth to speak and then hesitating. This was the first time that Ace had ever opened up to him about his life before the Moby Dick, and he didn't want to push him beyond his boundaries - but at the same time, he wanted Ace to know that he _could_ talk to him. He thought about it for a moment, and then took a leap. "Do you want to talk about it, yoi?" Marco asked softly.

"It's been a really long time since anyone asked me that," Ace chuckled, turning back to Marco. He seemed to internally debate on whether or not to speak about it - about something so private he hadn't even told the Spade Pirates - but he felt comfortable, and Marco wasn't pushing him. He was just _listening,_ genuinely and without judgment. "Sabo died a few months later. He was murdered. We became brothers as a trio, but all of the sudden it was just me and Luffy. I was his only big brother. I was never as good at it as Sabo was, but we made it work. I still did my damndest to make Luffy's birthday a special day, so he assumed we were doing the same for me… and I didn't have the heart to deter him. So we celebrated every year after that."

Marco felt a rush of undeniable compassion towards Ace as he spoke of his brothers, both the one who was still alive and the one that he'd lost. He'd had no idea that Ace had held something like that in his past, and his heart went out to him for it.

He didn't say anything about Sabo, though. Ace had only mentioned him in passing, and Marco didn't want to open up old wounds - at least not any more than he already had. "So after you left, you really didn't plan on celebrating your birthday again, yoi?"

"Nope," Ace shrugged. "No real point." He fidgeted, then jumped up, dusting his shorts off and shooting Marco a sideways look. "But I guess there's a point now, huh?" His lips curved into a cocky grin. "I mean, if everyone else wants to celebrate, that makes it worth it again."

Marco chuckled, flashing Ace a grin. "All right, if that's the way you want to look at it, yoi," he said. He slipped off of the edge of the desk, standing up and looking at Ace. "But you know - _you're_ worth celebrating, too, Ace."

He turned before he had the chance to see the look that would inevitably appear on Ace's face at his words, a small smile forming as he headed from the room.

"Marco…" Ace trailed off, his eyes wide. A rush of warmth slid over him - something he hadn't truly felt since his last birthday with Luffy - and then his smile was returning. He lunged forward, hurrying to catch up with Marco. It was still strange, still a little _scary,_ but he was determined to try and enjoy his birthday. Maybe he couldn't see the worth Marco was talking about, and maybe he wasn't sure about the idea of people loving him the way his brothers had… but one day of pretending couldn't hurt.

Unable to help himself, he leapt onto Marco's back the second he was close enough, laughing. "Well, since it's my birthday, maybe you should give me a piggyback ride back to the party."

Marco had been expecting Ace to follow him, but he hadn't expected Ace to _tackle_ him like that. He didn't stumble, though, taking Ace's weight on his back without any difficulty. He looked over his shoulder, grinning broadly as he let out a laugh. "Well, I _guess_ I could do that," he teased. "It being your birthday and all."

"You really do need to meet my little brother," Ace told him, smiling broadly and wrapping his arms around Marco's neck. "After he sets out, I want everyone to meet him. Everyone's going to love him."

"Looking forward to it," Marco said, feeling a rush of warmth at Ace's smile. "In fact, I can't think of anything I'd like to do more than meet Ace's little brother, yoi."

Ace laughed again, letting his head rest on top of Marco's. It was so easy to imagine, showing Luffy off to his new family and watching them succumb one by one. Especially Thatch. One bite of food and Luffy would lose his mind fawning over Thatch - and in turn, Thatch would lose his mind preening over the praise. He imagined Luffy bouncing all around Whitebeard and marveling over how big he was, or trying to break through Jozu's diamond defense, or even playing with Rakuyo's crazy sentient ball and chain flail.

He hoped it would come true someday - and maybe on someone's birthday, so Luffy could experience the kind of grand party the Whitebeard Pirates like to indulge in.

"Oi!" Ace called when they reached the deck.

The chorus of cheers and people calling his name made his stomach flip with happiness and uncertainty, but he kept smiling.

"Ace!" Haruta came running, jumping right onto Marco's chest so that the First Division Commander was sandwiched between the two of them. Both ignored Marco's heavy, exasperated sigh. "We thought you ran off!"

"Who, me?" Ace teased. "No way!"

"Yes, you," Thatch scolded with a playful smile, stumbling over with a rosy blush and a mug of beer in one hand. "C'mon, Ace! It's a party!"

Ace looked at Thatch's inviting expression, at Haruta's bright look over Marco's shoulder - and at the faces of all his brothers and sisters. They were smiling, laughing, _waiting_ for him to join them, and the last of his tension drained away.

"Yeah," Ace agreed, smiling wider. It was a party, and it was for _him_ this time - and for the first time in a long time, that idea seemed okay.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading!**


	3. 27. Soulmates (Platonic ASL)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So the prompts are still flowing! Again thank you to the lovely people fave/follow/reviewing/reblogging and sending in prompts!
> 
> From roaringbearstormlove: Could i request platonic Acelu for the 27th soulmates prompt? not sure if i requested that right, but thats the "you can transfer your soulmates injuries to yourself" prompt.

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**_Ripples in the Sea_**

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**_27\. Soulmates (Platonic ASL)_**

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Sabo sat in the dim alleyway, tucked far enough back that no passing pedestrian would notice him if they just happened to pass by and glance down it - not that they ever would. Most people went about their days without ever so much as glimpsing into one of those shadowed passages, and that was one of the reasons they made such good hiding spots and meeting points for anyone who didn't want to be noticed or found.

He was perched on the edge of a pile of old crates, arms crossed over his chest as he glanced furtively towards the alley's only entrance. He'd been there for nearly half an hour now, he estimated, and his stomach was twisted into nervous knots. It had taken him almost ten minutes on his own to reach their meeting spot, and he hadn't expected to be the first one there. He'd taken off as soon as he'd finished with the distraction he'd caused, but Ace and Luffy should have been long gone with their spoils by that point. So where in the world _were_ they?

It was at that moment the other two boys came crashing into the alley, winded and carrying two bags a piece. Ace's hair was damp from sweat, his shirt ripped and a harsh scowl on his face. It was impossible to tell Luffy's condition, as Luffy took two steps and immediately fell on his face, spread eagle and panting as he tried to catch his breath. Both of his forearms were covered in bandages.

Sabo's eyes widened, and he leapt off of the boxes, landing nimbly on his feet and dashing over to the two of them. "Where have you been?" he demanded, somehow remembering to keep his voice down at the last minute. "I've been waiting here for thirty minutes!"

"We ran into trouble," Ace snapped, tossing his bags to the ground. He didn't immediately rush to Luffy's aid, which meant he was angry with their youngest brother. Even more troubling was the fact that despite his disheveled state, Ace didn't have a single scratch on him.

Sabo quickly knelt next to Luffy, glancing briefly at Ace and noting his demeanor and ripped clothes before turning his full attention back to their little brother. "Trouble?" he repeated. "What _kind_ of trouble?" He reached out for Luffy, gathering him up into his arms and turning him so that he wasn't face down anymore.

"The kind that makes idiots act without thinking," Ace snapped, making his way to the boxes and sitting down to catch his breath.

"I'm not an idiot," Luffy protested, pouting over at Ace. He looked up at Sabo, a bandage at the corner of his mouth and some showing under the collar of his shirt. "Tell Ace he's being mean to me."

"Tell Luffy to stop acting on his own like a selfish little brat!" Ace practically shouted.

Sabo's throat tightened at the sight of the bandages - clearly treating the injuries had been part of their delay, not just the trouble they had found themselves in. "Start from the beginning," he instructed, holding Luffy as he looked over at Ace. "Tell me _exactly_ what happened after we split up."

"We nearly got caught," Ace muttered, shoving his hand into his hair. "We had to run down Julep Street."

"Ace broke a window so we could hide," Luffy added, sitting up now and pouting at Sabo. "He got hurt."

Ace scowled even harder. "And as always, Luffy didn't _listen_ to me. So I had to steal some bandages from the drugstore and patch him up before we came here."

Sabo let out a sigh, shoulders slumping slightly, though he felt a rush of relief - he hated the thought of either of his brothers being hurt, but it could have been a lot worse. "Yeah, I had a feeling that was what had happened," he said.

It wasn't the first time this type of situation had occurred. Ever since Ace and Luffy had discovered that they were soulmates, they'd had a habit of taking each other's injuries - and usually wound up doing it without asking permission first. Since neither of them wanted the other to be in pain, it led to a lot of aggravation and arguing. It was easier whenever Ace took Luffy's injuries - because Luffy was easier to distract and placate - but when Luffy took _Ace's_ , the frustration and helplessness from seeing Luffy injured and being unable to do anything about it caused Ace to lash out in anger.

Since this had started happening Ace had tried to make a conscious effort not to get hurt, but the nature of the lives they led made that impossible to completely avoid. Especially with Ace's bad habit of never running from a fight, and often acting recklessly if he thought he was protecting his brothers. It resulted in Sabo having to be the one to step up and take care of Luffy during moments like this, simply because Ace would just keep pushing Luffy away for as long as he felt guilty over getting hurt and Luffy taking his injuries.

Luffy's lower lip quivered, and then he was throwing his arms around Sabo and hugging him. "Ace is stupid," he mumbled.

"I heard that," Ace growled. "Let's just get out of here before it starts raining. The last thing we need is one of us getting _sick,_ too." He leaned down to scoop up the bags, knowing Sabo would pamper and carry Luffy all the way back to their hideout.

Sabo nodded, then gathered Luffy up into his arms - Luffy would have latched onto him with both arms and legs if he'd just tried to stand. Fortunately, his brother was still small and slender enough that Sabo could pick him up with ease. "Try not to move too much, Luffy," he reminded him. "It'll just make it hurt more."

"Okay," Luffy agreed, latching on with only his arms. "You're always so much nicer than Ace."

Ace clenched both fists, but he didn't say anything in response as he started down the alley. Though they knew the way to their hideout by heart - from almost any location in the city - he still preferred to get there before it got dark.

Sabo tightened his arms slightly around Luffy, giving him a hug as he followed after Ace. "You know he doesn't like it when you take his injuries," he murmured. He knew that Ace would do _anything_ for Luffy - and Luffy, likewise, would do anything for _Ace_. Neither of them ever hesitated to take away the others' pain; it always came down to whoever got hurt first. The difference was simply that Luffy didn't understand why Ace would insist on taking away his pain when he felt like he could handle it on his own, and Ace would blame _himself_ for getting hurt whenever Luffy took his.

"But he was hurt," Luffy protested, looking up at Sabo with an earnest expression. "I don't like it when Ace is hurt. And I'm okay!" His lower lip quivered again, eyes averted as he attempted to lie. "I'm strong. I-It doesn't even hurt…"

"I know," Sabo said with a smile, knowing full well that Luffy _was_ in pain and trying his hardest not to let it show. Going along with it was the least he could do, because he knew how important it was to Luffy to be strong for Ace. " _He_ doesn't like it when you're hurt, either. You two are really alike, Luffy."

Luffy let his head rest on Sabo's shoulder, closing his eyes. "But I _really_ don't like it when Ace is hurt," he protested, only mildly placated by hearing Sabo agreeing with him.

"You two hurry it up!" Ace called over his shoulder. They were still a good fifteen minutes from the most recent hole in the wall they called 'home', and it was unlikely Ace would calm down until they were safely hidden within it.

"We're coming!" Sabo called back. Once Ace calmed down he knew that things would be okay between him and Luffy, so the sooner they could get back to the hideout the better. He tucked Luffy in close to his chest, and hurried after Ace.

By the time they reached their hideout, what had started as a light drizzle had turned into a heavy rain. Ace held the door open for them, pushing it shut and propping a loose board against it in case the wind picked up once they were inside.

"Damn it," he swore, shaking his head and sending water droplets everywhere. "I was hoping it wouldn't start raining until after we got here."

Sabo carried Luffy to the area that they'd designated as their bedroom, which was really just a corner of the hideout that was piled with various blankets that they'd scavenged. He settled Luffy onto it, then gathered up some of the less moth-eaten ones and carried them over the door to start covering it with them to keep out the wind and rain. They'd be able to wrap the rest around them, and blankets with holes were better than no blankets at all.

Ace set the bags down and moved to help Sabo, snagging the blankets on some of the nails jutting out and leaning a few more boards against it. While they worked on that, Luffy reached out to turn on some of their lanterns. Stealing batteries was easy enough, so no one complained whenever Luffy decided to have the lights on.

There were five lanterns in total, designed to emulate real flames. They had a variety of other nifty gadgets to help offset the fact that their home was literally an old storage room in an abandoned building that could be demolished as soon as someone wanted to build on that spot. Luffy's favorite was a toy reindeer that wiggled from side to side, which he picked up to hug while he watched his brothers.

"That should do it," Ace sighed, wiping his forehead. "At least our clothes didn't get too wet. Let's eat."

"Food!" Luffy agreed, eyes lighting up. "Sabo, we got all kinds'a good food! We even got _cookies!"_

"And a bunch of other junk food," Ace agreed. "We got some fruit, too. Ya know, since you insisted we needed some," he said, shooting Sabo a look.

Sabo just flashed a grin at Ace, moving to settle down on the bedding next to Luffy. "Good," he said. "Let's start with that fruit then, since the junk food will keep longer." It was the same thing he insisted on every time they stole something that was actually healthy, because if he didn't he knew both Ace and Luffy would immediately gravitate towards the junk food and nothing else.

Ace shrugged and made his way over, tossing the bags down and sitting on Sabo's other side instead of next to Luffy. Luffy's face fell at the obvious snub - he _always_ sat between both of his brothers - but he tried to hide it by reaching into the bag and pulling out an apple.

He waited to bite it, squirming impatiently. It was tradition that they waited for each other to eat, and even though Luffy _always_ seemed to be hungry, he managed to wait for his brothers every time.

Sabo made sure that Ace made his selection from the bag before he did, taking an apple for himself. He honestly didn't mind whether or not Luffy started eating first, but they'd started the tradition in order to keep Luffy from eating half of their spoils before he and Ace had been able to help themselves.

"Go on, Luffy," he said, giving him a smile. He could see how impatient Luffy was, and there was no reason to make him wait any longer than absolutely necessary.

Luffy had the entire apple in his mouth before Sabo finished speaking. Ace scowled and reached behind Sabo to smack Luffy on the back, forcing him to spit it out.

"Don't choke on your food," Ace scolded.

"Ow!" Luffy protested, staring up at Ace with large eyes. "That hurt!"

Ace scowled, getting up and heading back to the door to eat his apple. Wounded, Luffy picked his back up and started taking bites - huge ones, of course - though he didn't seem to be enjoying it.

" _Ace_ ," Sabo hissed, shooting a look at his brother, who pointedly ignored him. He knew why Ace was acting this way towards Luffy, but that didn't mean he enjoyed seeing it _happen_. He sighed and shook his head, then reached over and ruffled Luffy's hair lightly, trying to comfort him. It was frustrating; Ace got upset like this when Luffy took his injuries and got hurt, but his attitude towards Luffy was hurting their little brother more than those injuries ever would.

Luffy looked up at Sabo, apple juice dripping down his chin as he finished his food to the core. "Sabo," he mumbled in a hushed voice. "How do I make Ace not mad at me again? I don't like it when Ace is mad at me…"

Sabo wrapped his arm around Luffy's shoulders and gave him a sideways hug. "Just give him a little time," he said softly. "Ace'll stop being mad as soon as he feels like he's able to do something for you."

Luffy pondered this, wiping his face with his sleeve. He looked over at Ace, then at Sabo. "As soon as he can do something for me…?" He frowned, then started to nibble at his apple core, which he intended to eat anyway - and then abruptly bit down with more force than necessary, biting two of his fingers hard enough that they began to bleed. He dropped the core into his lap with a yelp of pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Luffy!" Ace came rushing back to his side, kneeling down and grabbing his hand. "You idiot! Did you bite yourself?!"

"It-it doesn't hurt!" Luffy protested through his tears.

Sabo's eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his own apple - he couldn't _believe_ Luffy had just bitten himself on _purpose_. He was sure that was what had happened, too; Luffy had eaten food twice as fast as that before, and he'd never accidentally bitten his fingers. Especially not hard enough to draw _blood._

As soon as his shock registered, though, Sabo wondered just exactly _why_ he was surprised by this - he'd just told Luffy that Ace wanted to do something to help him, so _of course_ Luffy would create an injury that Ace would have to take away from him, just to try and make Ace feel better. Nevermind that Luffy was seriously hurt - _that_ wasn't important to his little brother. All that mattered to Luffy was how _Ace_ felt. And Ace, being Ace, had immediately snapped himself out of his mood to rush over and see to Luffy.

Sabo absolutely loved his brothers.

"Idiot," Ace chided again, his voice softer this time. He held both of Luffy's hands in his own, and while he couldn't do anything about the wounds underneath all the bandages showing on Luffy's wrists and forearms, the bite marks on Luffy's middle and pointer finger transferred over without delay. Ace hissed, but Luffy pulled his other hand away and fumbled for the bandages they'd stolen, intent on patching Ace up the way Ace had patched _him_ up.

"I'm sorry I bit myself," Luffy apologized, clumsily wrapping the white bandages around both of Ace's fingers - essentially tying them together.

"Just try and be more careful when you eat," Ace told him sternly, allowing his hand to be wrapped up as messily as Luffy wanted. A light blush dusted his cheeks, his eyes averted, and then he was scowling at Sabo as if daring him to comment on how flustered he was by Luffy's care and attention.

Sabo simply met Ace's scowl with a smile - it was tempting to tease him, but he decided that, just this once, he'd let it pass. Besides which, Luffy was in the room, and if Sabo _did_ start teasing Ace about it then Luffy might do something that would only make it worse.

Instead, Sabo just turned his attention to Luffy. "You're doing a good job wrapping those bandages, Luffy," he praised him. They were actually kind of a mess, but he knew Luffy had been trying to get better at it, because he was determined to take care of Ace himself whenever Ace had to take his injuries. As messy as they were now, they _were_ better than they'd been before.

Luffy's eyes lit up. He worked a little faster in his excitement, then raised his head to stare at Ace with hopeful eyes.

Ace sighed, meeting Luffy's eyes and offering a rare, gentle smile. His other hand came up to brush Luffy's hair back. "Thanks, Luffy. You should finish eating now. _Carefully."_

Luffy nodded, releasing Ace's hand and digging in the bag again. He pulled out a bag of cookies, tearing it open.

Ace pulled back, eyes flickering to his hand as he studied the shoddy knots and loose bandages. His fingers weren't bleeding badly enough for him to feel the need to redo it yet, but once Luffy fell asleep, he'd have Sabo help him with disinfecting and fixing it.

Sabo smiled in understanding - it was easy to figure out what was going through Ace's mind then, and it wouldn't be the first time that he'd redone Ace's bandages after Luffy had fallen asleep. Luffy always meant well, but his enthusiasm wasn't always effective.

They lapsed into companionable silence then, busying themselves with finishing off the food that they weren't going to save until later - which meant that they had to physically stop Luffy from eating the rest of it, because he would have gladly helped himself to the rest of their stash.

"It's probably gonna rain for a while longer," Ace observed once he'd finished packing away the rest of the food. Luffy's eyelids were drooping, hands folded over his full belly. It wasn't often they stole enough to feel full after one meal, and the sight had Ace smiling - even with the visible bandages where Luffy had taken his lacerations from the broken glass. He made his way back over and sat down, opening his arms.

Luffy readily climbed into his arms and hugged him, snuggling close. "Ace, I like it when you're not mad at me."

"I know," Ace sighed, rubbing his back. "But I'm always mad when you're hurt, Luffy."

"Are you always mad at _me?"_ Luffy pressed, his voice small.

Ace hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Not always." He glanced at Sabo, silently asking if he should say something else for Luffy's sake.

Sabo met Ace's gaze and nodded encouragingly. Ace was on the right track - reassurance that he wasn't mad at _Luffy_ was what Luffy needed. It would help, because that was what Luffy was the most worried about. He would be able to handle Ace's anger as long as he knew that it wasn't aimed at _him._

Ace swallowed at Sabo's reassurance, tucking Luffy closer. "I'm mad at me."

"Ace is mad at Ace…?" Luffy echoed.

"When you get hurt, I can take your pain away," Ace continued - and this time he had to look away from everyone, closing his eyes. "It's the one thing I can do for you. You're my little brother, Luffy… and when I get hurt, it's because I'm protecting _you._ If you take those injuries, then it means I can't even do _that._ That's why I get so mad, Luffy… me and Sabo, we care about you more than anything. So it hurts us _more_ if you're hurt, okay?"

Luffy didn't seem happy about that. His posture radiated his displeasure and he was incredibly tense. Then, all at once, he relaxed and burrowed closer in Ace's arms. "Okay."

Ace's eyes flew open in surprise. "Okay?" he echoed.

"Okay?" Sabo repeated as well, staring at Luffy. He'd hoped Luffy would understand what Ace was trying to tell him, but he hadn't expected him to just... _accept_ it like that.

He also couldn't believe that Ace had actually _admitted_ all of those things. He'd _hoped_ that Ace would open up, but he hadn't expected it to be that quickly, or that _much._

"Okay," Luffy said again. "I understand. I didn't know I was hurting Ace more when I took his pain. I thought I was helping, but if it hurts more, that's not helping. I thought Ace didn't want me to take his pain because he thought I was weak. But I'm strong!"

"Luffy," Ace murmured. He pulled back just enough to look Luffy in the eye, keeping his hands on Luffy's shoulders. "You are _not_ weak. You're an idiot, and you're stubborn, and you can be such a pain in the ass…" His grin was crooked and playful as Luffy pouted up at him. "And you're strong. Our strong little brother."

Sabo grinned, watching the two of them affectionately. " _Really_ strong," Sabo added, just to make absolutely sure that Luffy knew it was a sentiment that they both shared. He reached out and playfully ruffled his hair, the look that he gave both of them full of warmth.

Satisfied, Luffy twisted to smile at Sabo, then went back to burrowing in Ace's arms. He started snoring almost instantly, which had Ace shaking his head with a rueful smile. One of Luffy's arms flopped over him, and the sight of the bandages there had Ace's stomach curling with guilt again. His hand came up to skim over those bandages, recalling where each cut had been before Luffy had stubbornly taken them. It frustrated him to no end that a wound could only be transferred once - that the moment Luffy took his pain, he was stuck with it.

"Do you really think he'll stop taking my injuries?" Ace asked, moving his hand to rub Luffy's back again.

"I think he'll _try_ ," Sabo said, smiling softly at them both. "And he'll probably succeed with anything minor, but if you're ever _seriously_ hurt I doubt he'll be able to stop himself. He cares about you too much for that." His smile dimmed, his expression growing more serious. "So that means _you're_ going to need to promise to be more careful, Ace. To stop being so reckless all the time."

"I will if you promise me something too," Ace said, holding his hand out for Sabo to fix. The bandages were tight enough to hurt, but he'd dealt with it for Luffy's sake.

"What?" Sabo asked, reaching out to take Ace's hand. He began unwinding the bandages, while rummaging through the supplies Ace and Luffy had stolen to find the disinfectant.

"If I ever get hurt… like really bad…" Ace murmured, watching Sabo work. They always tried to keep first aid supplies on hand, but with how often they found themselves injured, it was difficult. "If I'm ever dying because of an injury, you have to _stop_ Luffy from taking my place."

Sabo swallowed hard at that, because the thought of either Ace or Luffy being in such a situation made his heart ache. It was his worst fear, to lose his brothers like that. But that was the only thing that made him pause for a moment, because the actual promise was easy enough to make. If Ace was dying, and Luffy took his place, Ace would _never_ be able to forgive himself. Sabo would end up losing two brothers, not just one.

"I promise," Sabo said, pausing in what he was doing to look Ace straight in the eye. "I _promise._ "

Satisfied, Ace nodded, holding Sabo's gaze. Then he grinned. "I don't plan on dying any time soon, so don't look all serious and Sabo-like," he teased. He looked back to Luffy. "I'll try not to get mad the next time he takes one of my injuries."

Sabo managed a strained, but sincere smile. "The key part of that being the word 'try'," he teased back. "But I know you'll do your best. And if you _do_ get angry, then I'll be here." A thought occurred to him, and he tilted his head to one side. "You know, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea if you let Luffy take _some_ of your injuries - the ones you get from accidents. The minor ones. Then he can feel like he's still helping you, but he won't be taking any injuries you get while _protecting_ him."

Ace scowled at the thought of Luffy being hurt at _all,_ but he had to admit, it made sense. "How about this. From now on, Luffy needs _your_ permission to take an injury from me. I can't make the decision, Sabo. I don't want him hurt at all. But if you say he can, I'll trust you."

Sabo smiled, and gave a nod. "Deal," he agreed. It made perfect sense, and it was a rule that Luffy would easily be able to follow.

"Thanks," Ace murmured. "I guess I'm gonna take a nap too. Luffy's not getting up anytime soon."

"Go ahead," Sabo said with a nod, having finished with redressing his injury. "I'll stay up and keep an eye on things."

Ace nodded, attention going back to Luffy as he settled back on the blankets and tried to get some sleep.

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out our tumblr, Synchrosin, for more prompt posts and ficlet requests.


	4. I Know This Hurts, But You Have To Stay Awake (Lawlu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Mithril: Ahahahaha… yeah we're alive. Kudos to Akatsuki as I was a real slave-driver with making her lead this one.
> 
> More to come eventually! Keep sending us prompts, we'll get to 'em before the apocalypse. Maybe.
> 
> Prompt from Shishiswordsman: "i know this hurts, but you have to stay awake" with lawlu? I need the otp angst like I need air :'D I'm so glad you opened requests you fabulous spoons"
> 
> Thank you for reading!

 

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**_Ripples in the Sea_ **

**_I Know This Hurts, But You Have To Stay Awake (Lawlu)_ **

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Law took a deep breath to steady himself, trying not to think about how rapid his pulse had become. He wasn't typically nervous in the operating room - it was the one place where he usually felt at ease, confident in his abilities and his environment. He knew that between his knowledge and his ability, within this room he could solve any problem, cure any ailment. In this room he was the Master, and there wasn't a single person in the world that could dispute it.

But this time… this time was different.

It shouldn't have been. It wasn't as if they hadn't been here before. And last time, his success and failure had _also_ meant the difference between life and death. He'd succeeded then, and he _knew_ , logically, that he would succeed now. Unfortunately it was the mind that logic ruled, not the heart, and it was his _heart_ leading his emotions now. This time was different, and it shouldn't have been, but it was.

Two years ago, he hadn't been in love with Mugiwara no Luffy.

He took another deep breath, then reached out, placing his hand over Luffy's sweat-dampened forehead, smoothing over his furrowed brow with his thumb. "I know this hurts, Mugiwara-ya," he said quietly, "but you have to stay awake."

The only response that he received was a groan, and Law's heart contracted as if a hand had physically wrapped around it and squeezed. The fight had been unexpectedly brutal - a chance encounter with another pirate crew that should have been simple enough to deal with, particularly with both the Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates on hand, but none of them had expected the captain to possess such powerful haki - or use vicious bombs containing kairouseki shrapnel. The first bomb had only grazed them for the most part, but all it took was a sliver. By the time Law had removed the kairouseki from his arm, shouting at the enraged Luffy not to do anything rash, Luffy had already used his own inflated body to contain the rest of the blasts. No one had been able to stop him, despite knowing that once he'd seen the shrapnel hit the others, his next move would be to take all of the damage to ensure it wouldn't hit them _again_. They'd won the fight in the end, but not without Luffy suffering severe injury.

Law hadn't hesitated; he'd immediately ordered Luffy brought to the Polar Tang's operating theater, and then promptly kicked everyone out except for Chopper with the declaration that anyone else would just be in the way. This wasn't strictly true in the case of his crew, but he wasn't in the right state of mind to let anyone see him like this more than was strictly necessary.

"Are you sure there isn't anything we can give him?" Chopper asked, his voice trembling with anxiety and worry. He looked at Law - of course, Law knew Chopper already had the answer to that, but he couldn't blame the young doctor for asking the question on the small chance that the outcome might prove different.

"Anything strong enough to do any good would just send him to sleep, and we can't let that happen," Law replied, his attention never leaving Luffy. He could see Luffy's pain, could almost feel it, as if it were his own. Even though he knew it was selfish, Law couldn't help but wish he could have stopped Luffy - it would have been better for all of them to get a little injured, in his eyes, than for Luffy to take the full force of the attack entirely onto himself. With the extent of Luffy's injuries, there was a good chance that even just _one_ missed piece of kairouseki could prove fatal.

Another groan rose up from Luffy, and it reminded Law that he needed to spend less time lost in thought and more time actually _helping_ Luffy. Chopper was a ready and willing assistant, but time was still of the essence, particularly if he needed Luffy to remain conscious during the duration. "Stay with me, Mugiwara-ya," he murmured. "Stay awake."

Those words seemed to penetrate the haze of fatigue and pain. Luffy's eyes fluttered open the rest of the way, not quite focusing on anything in particular. His hand fumbled as if trying to reach out, but with the numerous wounds littering his upper body from the explosion - places his haki hadn't managed to shield - it was clear he had very little control over his own movement.

Combined with how weak kairouseki made him, it was a wonder he'd managed to open his eyes at all.

He tried to reach out again, fumbling, but it wasn't Chopper or Law he seemed to be reaching for. In the next moment, his eyes were sliding shut again, breathing ragged.

Law's heart ached at the sight, his throat tightening from the lump of emotion forming in it. His vision blurred, and he quickly blinked the it away - he had a lot of work to do, and he had to keep focused. It wasn't easy. It wasn't easy to look down at Luffy, to see him lying there so pale and barely moving, his chest imperceptibly rising and falling, and maintain his composure.

He took a deep breath, reaching for the first of his instruments - with the nature of Luffy's injuries his powers wouldn't be of much use, and so he needed to fall back on his medical training to see them through this. He tried not to look at Luffy's face, at the absence of the smile that always seemed to make the world a brighter place. He _would_ succeed. He had to. There was no room for compromise or failure.

"Ace," Luffy's voice was barely audible, the barest hint of a whisper after his failed attempt to reach out. It was suddenly very obvious _who_ he thought he was reaching for.

Chopper made a sound of distress at Ace's name, and he didn't even _try_ to hold back his tears as he handed Law the items he needed.

That lump in Law's throat grew larger. He'd had a suspicion as to who Luffy was reaching for, but actually hearing Luffy call out for his brother like that, his voice distant and edged in pain - it broke Law's heart to hear it, and to know that there was nothing he could do.

"Sorry, Mugiwara-ya," Law said quietly, not caring whether or not Chopper heard him. "I can't let you go to him yet."

Luffy's eyes flickered to Law, half-lidded and unfocused. He appeared to be _trying_ to keep his eyes open, but the only thing really helping him was the pain. It simply hurt too much for him to slip away.

Law couldn't help but brush his fingers against Luffy's forehead, meeting his gaze and knowing Luffy wasn't seeing him. Then he returned his attention to his task at hand. It was easier to stay focused when he had something that he could keep his mind on, and the painstaking task of removing each piece of kairouseki - some of them no larger than a fingernail cutting - was enough to keep him mentally occupied. Chopper was on hand, helping him spot the shards, passing him new instruments when he needed them, even going so far as to wipe the sweat from his brow so that it wouldn't get into his eyes.

Time passed, each hour slipping away with barely a notice from Law or Chopper. Eventually, they'd removed enough of the shrapnel that they both agreed it would be safe to sedate Luffy and allow him to sleep through the rest. There had been a slight moment of panic Law had struggled to suppress when Luffy's eyes had slipped shut and they'd had to put an oxygen mask on him, but Chopper's presence and steady assistance had helped to distract him again. With the monitors beeping steadily, they had both gone back to work, careful not to touch the kairouseki directly. It was easier for the pieces that had simply cut into skin and muscle - the pieces embedded into Luffy's bones were the worst.

It didn't hit Law until that moment just how long they'd been working on Luffy - how long it had taken them to finally get to this point. The moment when they had removed the final piece of kairouseki and identified it as such by the way that Luffy's rubber skin had slowly started to knit itself back together - that was the moment their surroundings came back into focus.

Releasing a sigh of relief that he hadn't been aware he'd been holding, Law's shoulders slumped and he stepped back from the table. "Done," he said for Chopper's benefit, though the younger doctor would clearly have been able to discern that for himself. "Let's get him settled."

Chopper nodded; the next minutes were spent cleaning up - packing up the instruments to be sterilized, and wiping away the blood that had accumulated during the operation off of Luffy's body. Blood - another reminder of just how badly Luffy had been injured, and as Law disposed of the cloths used to wipe it up, he felt his throat tighten.

"I'll go tell the others that he's okay," Chopper said finally, looking at Law, and there was something in his eyes that betrayed his more innocent nature, like he'd noticed something otherwise best kept hidden. Law had been doing his damndest to maintain his composure during the operation, but Chopper's look made him wonder if perhaps Luffy was effecting even that part of him - his stoicism, his focus. He did his damndest, but… this was _Luffy_. The young Pirate King-to-be had a way of turning Law's world on end, spinning him around until he no longer knew which way to go - except to follow.

A sudden weariness overtook Law, as he was left alone to stand there beside Luffy's bed; it took a minute to register that _all_ he was doing was standing there, staring blankly down at the motionless occupant. Law's throat abruptly tightened again - awake and full of energy Luffy was a force to be reckoned with, full of strength and unrelenting courage. Lying here like this, bruised and bandaged, pale and unmoving… his small stature and slight frame only added to the sense of frailty. Oh, Law could _tell_ himself all he wanted that Luffy was the least frail person he'd ever met, but it was hard to convince himself of that when Luffy just... _lay_ there. Something was missing from him in that moment, something that separated this state of unconsciousness from simple sleep. Something that was uniquely Luffy…

His smile. Law felt a deep and hollow ache within his chest at the realization. He could see that smile in his mind, bright and shining, full of energy and unfailing optimism. He could still remember the first time he'd seen it - he should have realized then just how much this one, single man would change his entire life. He should have known that once he got himself involved with _that_ smile, he wouldn't be able to let him go.

"This wasn't part of the plan," Law whispered. He received no answer in response, but then, he hadn't been expecting one. It would likely be awhile before Luffy awoke even under the best circumstances. A cold feeling settled in his gut at the thought. He'd seen Luffy bounce back - quite literally - from his injuries all the time. This wasn't like Marineford, where Luffy had been pushed to the last of his physical and emotional limits, and then beyond them. This wasn't like Dressrosa, where Luffy had exhausted every last bit of energy to free a kingdom - to free _him._ Once the kairouseki had been removed, Luffy should have been able to snap back to his usual, albeit injured, self.

The calm, analytical doctor side of him knew that he'd given Luffy the best possible chance, but the emotional side of him - the side of him that seemed to take the lead more and more in Luffy's presence - had a much harder time accepting that. If he'd given Luffy the best chance, it argued, shouldn't he be _awake_ now?

The tightness in Law's chest increased, and he tried to force himself back into the stoic, focused state of mind that had served him so well during the operation. He took a deep breath, then another, locking his gaze onto a single point with which to center and ground himself before he started to doubt his decisions and needlessly stress over a _sleeping patient_.

Blood.

His breath hitched, stopped, his focus zeroing in on the dark spot of red against the sheer white of the sheets that Luffy lay on. His mind seemed to go blank as he realized what he'd been using to try and ground himself. He'd thought they'd changed the bedding, but Luffy must have still been bleeding a touch, blood dripping onto the fresh linen. Dark, but still freshly red, red on white….

White, like fresh snow.

Law's shoulders trembled as he swallowed hard, clenching his hands into fists at his sides in an attempt to keep from gripping his arms and digging his nails into his skin. The parallels had been there, but he'd been desperately fighting to keep from making that last leap to them, as if by not outright recognizing them he could pretend that they didn't exist. That it had taken this - _this_ , some strange, mundane association of color, bringing everything to the surface of his mind… Law's stomach rolled, and his eyes blurred with sudden, hot tears.

_Cora-san…_

Law made a soft sound in the back of his throat, a strained, keening sound of pain. Who was he fooling? He could pretend not to notice the similarities between Rocinante and Luffy all he wanted, but they were still _there_. It was that smile that did it - that smile that made you want to be near that person, _love_ that person, no matter how much you tried to tell yourself otherwise. The love he felt for Rocinante was different from the feelings building up within him for Luffy, but it was still _love_.

It was that smile, and their shared sense of selfless sacrifice for the people _they_ loved. Their empathy for others, as if they themselves were experiencing the same pain, no matter how idiotic or clueless they seemed. The care they showed Law in his most vulnerable moments.

That was what had endeared Rocinante to Law, and that was what drew _Law_ to Luffy. It was why, when he'd seen Luffy collapse from his injuries on the deck of the Sunny after defeating his enemy, Law's heart had leapt into his throat and threatened to suffocate him.

It was there now, a hard lump that made his mouth dry and his chest ache, and his vision blurred again as he struggled, and failed, to fight back tears. His hands dropped to the mattress and he bowed his head, each tear dripping onto the bedspread and Luffy's bandaged hand. He wasn't a child anymore, half-dead and wracked by illness. He was stronger - he'd learned swordsmanship, he'd mastered his devil fruit. He was one of the Supernovas - he'd forged a path across the seas and made a name for himself that most pirates could only dream of in their careers! It shouldn't have come to this. He should not have had to stand beside Luffy in an operating room, counting each second as they passed and worrying that the next could bring Luffy's final breath. He'd be _damned_ before he'd let it happen _again._

Before he lost another person that he loved… before another hole ripped into his heart, never to be filled.

Law reached out, half-blind from the tears, his hand trembling as it wrapped around Luffy's and gripped it tight. He just wanted Luffy to open his eyes. If he opened his eyes, then Law could know, _would know,_ that he hadn't failed. Even the best surgeon could do everything right and still lose their patient to some unforeseen circumstance, but if Luffy would just _wake up_ , then Law knew it would be okay. No one had a stronger will to live than Monkey D. Luffy. If there was anyone who could bounce back from this, it would be him.

Why, then, did that cold fear continue to gnaw its way through Law from the inside out?

It happened suddenly - no warning, no indication of life other than the steady, rhythmic beeping of the machines monitoring Luffy's vitals. The small squeeze could barely be felt through the numbness seeping into Law's body like it had thirteen years ago as he'd wandered brokenly through the snow in grief. His body was only just registering something had happened when the warmth began to spread from that single point, pouring into his body to push back the fear.

"Torao?" Luffy's voice was faint, and he sounded confused, like he might still be sleeping. "I'm hungry…"

Law's breath hitched, catching in his throat as he just barely registered the sound of Luffy's voice. His gaze flew to Luffy's face as his grip abruptly tightened on Luffy's hand. He half-expected to find that Luffy had just been mumbling in his sleep - though that was still better than no response at all - but he couldn't help but hope that he would find the younger man's eyes open. "Luffy…?"

"I'm hungry," Luffy repeated, whining softly and fixing a petulant, sleepy gaze on Law. "I want meat… all meat, no vegetables," he clarified. His eyes briefly closed, then opened again in confusion. "Why is there no meat?" He automatically squeezed Law's hand, fumbling weakly to remove the oxygen mask. It would get in the way when he tried to eat, after all.

Law swallowed hard. "You were asleep," he replied, leaning over Luffy with eyes that shimmered with tears. He didn't bother arguing on the point of the oxygen mask - Luffy seemed to be aware and recovering enough to not need it. "There'll be plenty of meat now that you're awake, as soon as Sanji has a chance to make it." He could tell Luffy not to eat too much, to take it easy, but given his metabolism and the fact that telling him _not_ to eat was an impossible task, he doubted it would make a difference. Besides which, Luffy healed faster when he ate. As a doctor, he could analyze all the reasons why it worked and how his metabolism seemed capable of rushing nutrients where they needed to go, but none of that was important. All Law needed to know at this point was that it _worked_ for him.

Luffy offered a bright, sleepy smile. "Yay, Sanji! Yay, meat!" He stared up at Law for a moment, alertness breaking through his daze. "Torao, are you crying?"

Law's eyes widened - he hadn't realized he was still on the verge of tears. He swallowed hard. "I thought…" His voice trailed off, and then pitched low. "I didn't know if-when you would wake up."

Luffy tried to sit up, only to give up after finding his muscles refusing to cooperate and his stomach growling in protest. Rather than try again, he reached out with his other hand, stretching his arm to grab Law's shirt and tug him closer until their chests hit. "I'm awake," he sleepily promised. "Everyone's okay… I'm okay, Torao. I'm not gonna die today."

Law lowered his head a bit, letting his forehead rest against Luffy's, and closed his eyes. "You damn well better not," he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Not after all the effort I've put into keeping you alive."

"Shishishi," Luffy's soft laugh made his chest bump slightly against Law's with each intake of breath. He smiled, closing his eyes. "I knew I wasn't gonna die. I had you and Chopper!"

Law's lips quirked in the smallest of smiles, and he took a deep breath, drawing back enough to open his eyes and look back down at Luffy. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn't gather the nerve to speak the words. "How are you feeling?" he asked instead. "Aside from 'hungry'."

"I'm really tired. I don't wanna move," Luffy admitted. "Sanji's _really_ making me food, right? Sanji's food is the best."

"Yes, he's _really_ making food," Law murmured, though he seemed distracted by his own thoughts again. It was _normal_ , he told himself, for Luffy to be tired after what he'd been through. But he couldn't stop the irrational fear that if Luffy went back to sleep, he might not wake up again. Not when all he'd been able to think about moments earlier was the moment when he'd realized he was losing Cora-san forever. It had blindsided him then - and letting his guard down now could lead to being blindsided again.

"Good," Luffy nodded, satisfied by that answer. He opened his eyes to look at Law for a few moments, and then his grip tightened on Law's shirt. "You're still worried, but I'm right here, Torao. I can't promise not to die… but for now, I'm right here."

Law's eyes burned, and he couldn't stop himself from bringing his hand to the one that was gripping his shirt, as if by touching he could reassure himself the rest of the way. "Can you just… stay awake awhile longer?" he asked quietly. He didn't question how Luffy had known what was worrying him, and if Luffy was going to keep acknowledging it - well, there was no harm in asking for the one thing that would reassure him.

Luffy smiled again. He was exhausted, sore, and all he really wanted was to eat a mountain of meat and fall asleep… but he didn't want to worry Law, either. "Okay."

Law let his hand linger on Luffy's for a moment longer, returning his smile with a strained one of his own - and then realized just how close they still were. He felt his face heat up and he started the pull back, intent on locating a chair that he could pull up to the side of Luffy's bed. He had to double check the monitors, after all… just to be safe.

Luffy tugged Law close the moment he tried to pull away, holding him there for several moments and tilting his head just slightly, an innocent move that any onlooker could have viewed as an accident. Something unintentional.

But the slight brush of his lips against Law's _had_ to have been deliberate as he held him firmly in place. His grip was tight enough to convey that he didn't want Law to leave, but if Law _wanted_ to pull back, Luffy wasn't going to stop him. It only lasted a brief moment before Luffy released Law and offered a wide smile once they parted. "Don't go far. I have to stay awake, so you have to stay close."

Law stared down at Luffy, eyes wide with shock. Shock that lasted only the briefest of moments before he found himself smiling again - a far less restrained, less uncertain smile than before. "I won't," he promised. As he drew back and straightened up, he could still feel the featherlight touch of Luffy's lips on his own. That one action had distracted him from the fears and anxieties that clawed at the back of his mind, rooted deeply in his heart to strike when he felt vulnerable, and while it wasn't enough to completely ease them, it was enough to push them back for now.

True to his word, he only went as far as the corner of the room to retrieve a chair before, planting it firmly next to Luffy's bed so that Luffy wouldn't have to move much to reach him. He took Luffy's hand again, curling his fingers around it securely, and Luffy wrapped his hand just as firmly around Law's, smiling the entire time.


	5. 100% (LawLu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So we're still alive (kinda!) And still working on the prompts we got… *checks* 4 months ago :D ehehehe. I did say we'd be slow at this!
> 
> This one comes from colliershoot: "I saw that other table being assholes and I wish more than anything I could make it better but I'm really awkward so instead I'll tip 100% AU" with LawLu, please? it's my otp :D
> 
> And can I just say this one got a little out of hand, but awkward Law is adorable.

* * *

_**Ripples in the Sea**  
_

_**100% (Lawlu)** _

* * *

Law leaned back in his seat with a look of contentment, the nearly empty plate in front of them a visual guide to the source of his satisfaction. "This," he said, nodding to the dishes on the table in front of them, "was an excellent idea. I'm glad you suggested it."

His sister smiled in response, eyes sparkling, though she couldn't answer because she was too busy working through her _own_ food. Her agreement was clear, however, and Law returned her smile with one of his own. It had been nearly two weeks since his last night off, and when he'd suddenly found himself with a free evening after working three straight night shifts and a double before that, Lami had practically grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and insisted that they go out somewhere to eat. Since it had been nearly that long since his last trip to the store - which he desperately needed to do as one could only survive off of convenience store bento for so long - he'd readily agreed, and had suggested that she pick their destination.

He wasn't surprised when she chose the Baratie - although Law had never been there himself, finding it too out of the way from the hospital where he spent the majority of his days and nights, Lami had been raving about it ever since her boyfriend had taken her there. And here they were now, an hour and a half later, finishing off what had to be one of the most savory meals that Law had had in a long time. He had every intention of sampling the dessert menu as well, but he'd wait a bit before making _that_ commitment. He'd watched one of those desserts go by on its way to another table, and knew he'd need a few minutes.

Fortunately it wasn't as if the Baratie needed their table any time soon. As popular as the restaurant had become since its opening earlier that year, it was late Thursday night, and the dining room was only half empty, and the patrons at the other tables were taking their time much like Lami and Law themselves were doing. It was a good atmosphere, Law thought, and he couldn't help wishing the place was closer so that he could walk there on his lunch and dinner breaks. He made a mental note to find out if they delivered before leaving.

"We really should do this more often," Lami suggested once she'd finished the last bite on her plate. "I wish our free time overlapped a little better. Which reminds me - Cora-san needs another copy of your schedule. He said he'd take us to that new amusement park I've been wanting to go to once my exams are over." She grinned at Law, knowing full well that the only reason he or Rocinante would go to an amusement park was for her sake - but that they'd genuinely enjoy themselves once they got there. "You know, like when we were kids."

Some people might have thought it was strange for a young surgeon and a med student to have a chaperone, but Rocinante had been like family to them for so long, it was nostalgic. Besides which, they didn't get nearly as many chances to spend time with him anymore.

Law chuckled and reached for his wine glass. "I'll make sure I get it to him," he replied, taking a sip. Normally he didn't drink, not even wine, but as he also had the next two days off pending an emergency - a reward for the nonstop chaos that had been the past two weeks. He could afford a glass of wine while sharing a meal with his sister. "I keep meaning to call him, anyway, but I haven't had the time."

"I had lunch with them the other day. They both wanted to know how we've been handling things. Oh, and Dad called again," Lami recalled, ticking the list of people checking on Law off on one hand. "Mom apologized for how much he's been checking up on you, but I told her you didn't mind. And I agreed with him that you work a little _too_ much, but that your internship is going well, and no, you don't have a boyfriend or a girlfriend yet."

Law smiled with wry affection. It had been always been a constant source of amusement for the siblings that their father had turned out to be the overprotective one. "I'll call them later, too," he decided, making a mental note of it. "Hopefully Dad wasn't too disappointed with your answer?"

As a teenager and then later an adult, Law had never had much of a penchant for dating - one steady in high school that hadn't lasted through prom, a few flings during college and med school, but nothing that had ever promised permanence. Their father seemed constantly concerned that Law was literally marrying himself to his job, putting all of his focus in his career and not enough into his personal life, and made a point of inquiring about it every time they spoke. He _meant_ well - but it had nothing to do with Law's choice in career, and everything to do with the fact that he just...hadn't met someone who'd caught his attention that way in a long time. He wasn't _picky_ \- he just wasn't in a rush.

"He just wants you to be happy - and I told him that you are. Then I changed the topic to my relationship," Lami promised with a light blush. "Mom and Dad already want to meet him. I made no promises." She reached across the table and placed a hand on Law's wrist, smiling. "You could always tell them you're marrying Bepo. I mean, he'd definitely go to family gatherings and pretend to be your boyfriend if you asked," she teased.

Law laughed and shook his head. "I couldn't do that," he joked. "It wouldn't be fair to Mom and Dad, I think they'd love to have Bepo as a potential son-in-law."

He would have said more, but found himself momentarily distracted by a commotion at the table a few feet away. There were two other tables between them but both were empty - the staff was deliberately not seating anyone too close to each other, since they had the space to spread out. Despite the reasonable distance, however, Law could hear the comments of the group sitting there clearly - the irritating, too-loud comments about how long it was taking for the waitress to come back for their order after being seated. Law hadn't been paying much attention to them until that moment, but he was pretty sure they'd only been sitting there for five, maybe ten minutes at most. They were acting like they'd been there over half an hour.

Lami glanced over her shoulder, then looked at Law, shaking her head with a sigh. "I'm embarrassed when people act like that," she murmured. Their waitress had been a lovely young woman named Cosette - and while she wasn't the type to complain about slow service, the passive-aggressive comments from the other table made her realize it had been a while since anyone had been by.

Before she could voice her thoughts, an energetic boy with the restaurant's uniform - though slightly disheveled - and a smile bright enough to light up the room came bouncing over, stopping at the table in question. His nametag, which read "Luffy", seemed to be handwritten instead of printed like the usual ones, and Lami was sure she'd never seen him there before.

The arrival of the new waiter did not go unnoticed by Law - it was impossible to miss an entrance like that. Luffy hadn't done anything particularly special, but it was the combination of brilliant smile and energetic movement that had Law's attention lingering on the other table likely more than it needed to be. It was as if Luffy had his own personal spotlight shining on him, and Law couldn't tear his gaze away.

Despite how warm and inviting Luffy's smile was, the group of four - two men and two women - immediately began speaking to him in a condescending manner, treating him like it was his privilege to be able to take their drink orders. Luffy either didn't realize how rude they were being or he didn't care - he simply wrinkled his nose on a few of the orders, commenting about how alcohol didn't taste very good. When they ordered their appetizers, Luffy couldn't seem to resist putting his opinions in about what tasted best and how his friend Sanji had cooked it.

This briefly baffled the patrons, who didn't seem to know how to respond to Luffy's cheerful attitude. Like they were used to apologies and uncomfortable service industry workers squirming when berated or mocked. By the time Luffy had taken their orders, Lami was trying her hardest not to laugh. There was something about him that just drew her in - and from the way Law was openly staring, she had a feeling it was even stronger for him.

Before he returned to the kitchen, Luffy hurried over to their table with a wide grin. "Sorry, Cosette had to go home early, so I'm taking over her tables. I'm Luffy! I have to go give this order to Sanji, but then I'll be right back to um - I have to fill the drinks, and then if you wanted more food, I'll write that down," he promised.

"It's alright, take your time," Lami assured him, smiling. " We're going to order dessert for sure, but we're still looking at the moment."

"That's a good idea!" Luffy agreed, nodding happily. "Everything here tastes so good!"

"My compliments to the cook," Law said, and though he didn't smile at Luffy, per se, there was something warmer in his tone than he addressed most people with. It had been clear from the conversation he couldn't have helped but overhear that Luffy _knew_ the cook in question. And not only knew him, but knew him well. He knew what it was like to get unexpected hostility while working, and as far as Law could tell the young waiter hadn't deserved it.

"I'll tell him!" Luffy promised. He gave a cheerful wave and hurried off, bumping a few chairs on the way to give the other table's order to the kitchen.

"I don't think I've seen him here before," Lami commented, tilting her head to the side after he'd gone. "He's not one of the usual waiters."

"I don't think he's a waiter at all," Law replied, his gaze following Luffy as he disappeared through the kitchen doors. "He doesn't have a name tag, for starters. I suspect he may have been called in after finding themselves unexpectedly shorthanded."

"Makes sense if he's friends with the cook," Lami commented. "Sanji really is one of the best. I've met him a couple of times. He's very friendly to me."

Law raised an eyebrow at Lami. "How old is he?" he asked dryly. Not that he thought Lami would intentionally flirt when she already had a boyfriend - she was incredibly loyal - but he was used to men constantly attempting to flirt with his little sister. They usually stopped when he showed up.

"Don't worry, he doesn't seriously hit on me," Lami informed him. "And I think he's younger than me. Besides, real creeps are the ones who keep flirting after I say I'm not interested - Sanji never made me uncomfortable at all."

She glanced up again when Luffy entered the room carrying a tray of drinks. Rather than set each drink in front of the person who ordered, he set the whole tray on the table.

"I don't remember who wanted what, but here are all the drinks," Luffy explained. "Who wanted the-"

"You don't remember?" One of the women interrupted with a haughty sniff. "How long have you worked here? They really will hire _anyone_ in a dump like this."

"I don't really work here," Luffy answered with a bright smile. "But this place isn't a dump. The food here is amazing! Now, um… this side is the regular cola," Luffy motioned to the darker glasses. "And then this glass is sparkling water with a lemon wedge-"

"That's mine," the woman spoke again, sounding exasperated. "Just leave the drinks, I suppose we'll have to do it ourselves. Dealing with someone as stupid as you would just take longer and then we'd be irritated by the time our food got here."

"Okay," Luffy stepped back from the table, hesitant, but he kept smiling at them. "Let me know if you need anything else!"

"Well don't leave the _tray,"_ one of the men complained, taking his drink. "You really _are_ stupid, aren't you?"

"Sorry," Luffy apologized, waiting for the last drink to be taken before he picked the tray up.

Lami narrowed her eyes at the exchange, looking like she wanted to get up and say something - the exact kind of thing Luffy was clearly trying to avoid for the sake of the restaurant by allowing them to speak to him that way.

Law caught Lami's eye and shook his head, though his own jaw was clenched tight. Although it was clear that Luffy was a little out of his depth with what he was doing, he was just as obviously trying his best, and the condescending, _entitled_ attitude of the other table was completely uncalled for. It was also painfully clear that Luffy was trying to avoid any form of confrontation that might cause trouble for the restaurant - and the end result was that he had no choice but to stand there and take the abuse.

Luffy made his way back to Law and Lami's table, smiling cheerfully at them. "Sorry for the wait," he apologized. "You said you wanted desserts? The vanilla bean cheesecake is _really_ good, and so is the molten lava cake, and - ah, sorry, I forgot, I'm supposed to let you pick. I shouldn't talk about what _I_ like," he corrected.

"Actually, that sounds good," Lami told him with a reassuring smile. "I haven't tried the molten lava cake. I'll have one of those."

The logical thing to do would have been to share a dessert with Lami, judging by the size of them - but some strange urge seized Law, and instead he found himself looking at Luffy and going, "And I'll take a slice of the vanilla bean cheesecake."

"Oh, those are both the ones I mentioned!" Luffy grinned. "Sanji's not gonna believe that's what you really ordered. He'll just think I want it, but I promise not to eat any of it."

Lami stifled a small giggle with her hand. "Thank you, Luffy."

With another smile that seemed impossibly bright and happy, Luffy turned and dashed back to the kitchen.

Law watched him go again, and only once Luffy was out of sight did he realize what he'd just done. "... Did I just order an entire slice of cheesecake, after a full meal?" Normally he went light on desserts in general - even if the desserts weren't so large already, he still wouldn't have ordered a full slice of _cheesecake._

"Seems like it," Lami teased. "But he looked so happy when we got his suggestions. Besides, you can always take it to go."

Law nodded, though the gesture was almost absent minded as he glanced back at the other table. They'd only just placed their order, and Luffy would have to deal with them through the meal and then dessert, which Law half expected they were going to order just to try and torment their waiter more. All of the other tables were just getting their checks and finishing up, but that table was only getting started. The idea of leaving Luffy to deal with that on his own didn't sit well with Law - which was strange in and of itself. It wasn't as if he _knew_ him.

When Luffy came back out with the desserts a few moments later, the other table stopped him to ask how long they'd have to wait on appetizers. Luffy apologized for the wait, but explained that Sanji was cooking and it would take time. Before they could make anymore demands, he hurried over to Law and Lami's table, pausing with the desserts and pursing his lips. He looked back and forth between them, then placed the plates in front of them. "Here you go!"

"Thank you," Lami flashed him a smile even though he'd given her the wrong dessert.

For a brief moment Law considered pointing out the mix-up, if only to make Luffy more cautious when serving the other table, but one look at Luffy's face and he found he couldn't do it. Luffy looked so bright and hopeful when he gave them their food, and it _was_ the correct food - he'd just mixed up who to give it to. That wasn't a big deal, particularly since he and Lami were probably just going to share in the first place.

"These look good," Law said with a nod, both because Luffy had recommended them, and because it was _true._

"They taste really good, too!" Luffy assured Law. He left before Law could say anything else, heading off to collect some checks to finishing ringing customers out, and Lami shot her brother an inquisitive look.

Without speaking, she cut the desserts in half and split them on the plates - she'd intended to sample his _anyway_ \- then stole the raspberry from on top of his cheesecake and popped it into her mouth. "You were staring at him."

"What?" Law snapped his attention away from Luffy's retreating form and looked at her, startled by her statement. "I wasn't! I was just," he paused, grasping for what he felt was an adequate description, "watching him walk away." Painfully aware of the way that sounded, he snatched up a fork and stabbed it into the cheesecake, shoving the bite into his mouth.

"Don't take it out on the cheesecake," Lami scolded with a small giggle. "Neither it, nor I, are judging you."

Law scowled and took another bite of the cheesecake. Then his expression softened a little, because the cheesecake really _was_ good, and while he'd taken Luffy's recommendation on a whim, he was glad for it.

After a moment, though, he found himself glancing again towards the kitchen door that Luffy had disappeared through. The other table was starting to get obnoxious again, their snide comments escalating in volume. Apparently they were dissatisfied with how long it was taking Luffy to return with the next part of their order, despite barely enough time going by for the food to have been _cooked._

"Just ignore them," Lami advised, expression sympathetic. "People like that rarely come back. I even saw one guy get kicked out a week ago. Literally kicked out. If they push it, I'm sure someone will take care of it, and Luffy doesn't seem bothered."

"That doesn't mean they have the right to act like that in the first place," Law muttered, and stabbed his fork into the lava cake next. The cheesecake had taken enough abuse.

Even as he had the thought, though, another part of him wondered what, exactly, he thought he could do about it. And why he was getting so irritated over it when it didn't really have anything to do with him. It wasn't like he was making an attempt at getting up and telling the other table off. At the same time, though, he just couldn't stop himself from getting indignant on Luffy's behalf.

"Well no, they're jerks - but that's how a lot of people behave, and unless they cross a line, we risk getting Luffy in trouble by antagonizing them further," Lami reminded him. She took a bite of her own lava cake, sighing happily. "This tastes _heavenly._ We have to leave a good tip."

Law nodded in agreement, and spent the next few minutes just switching between the two desserts, small bites from each so that he didn't overdo it. Every so often he glanced back towards the door, or over at the other table - it still wasn't particularly busy, but he wasn't sure when Luffy would be back. Presumably soon, with the other table's food. And then to give _them_ their check, because they'd already ordered dessert and there wasn't much reason to linger past that point.

When Luffy eventually returned, he was carrying a large tray of food, just barely managing not to spill it. He wasn't very graceful at all as he set it on the table with a dull thud and enough force to nearly knock over some of the drinks.

"Sorry, sorry," Luffy apologized cheerfully. "Go ahead and take your plates and I'll move the tray!"

"Take our plates?" one of the women scoffed. "How rude."

"Now, now, he's clearly not smart enough to remember who ordered what. We may as well save ourselves the time and stress of getting the wrong dishes and just pick them up ourselves, just like we did with the drinks. Boy," one of the men snapped his fingers at Luffy. "Tell us what each dish is."

Luffy frowned at the snapping, then looked at the guy. "I don't know what it's all called. Sanji never tells me what it is - he just gives me the food."

"Oh. My. God." The other woman sighed as loudly as she could manage, then waved her hand impatiently at Luffy. "Just… shoo. We'll get our own food and you can come collect the tray when we're done. Maybe the other table wants you to bother them. What a terrible restaurant. This is _terrible_ service."

Luffy looked at her for a long moment, then gave them all a brilliant smile. "Alright, just yell when you want me to come get the tray!" He turned away, still smiling, and for a brief moment - so quick it was gone before anyone who wasn't already watching him wouldn't notice - he looked deeply upset and tense, like their words were hurting him.

Law's expression darkened, his eyes flashing angrily both at the words of the people at the table and at that look he'd seen on Luffy's face for that brief moment. If he hadn't been watching the entire scene intently he would have missed - but he didn't, and it made his chest tight to see.

Before he fully realized what he was doing he held up his hand, signalling to Luffy to come over to their table before he went back to the kitchen.

Luffy's head snapped up. He nearly tripped over himself in his haste to get to their table. "Did you need something? I promise, this restaurant is _the best._ I'll get it right away."

Lami bit her lip - she'd heard what they'd been saying as well, and it was clear Luffy didn't want them to think badly of the establishment. She turned her gaze to Law, inquisitive and wondering what he'd do. They'd finished their desserts despite joking about needing to take them to go…

For a split second Law realized he'd called Luffy over without thinking, and now he was _there_ , and looking so _hopeful_ , that there was only one thing that he could do. He gestured to the empty plates. "These recommendations were really good," he said. "I was wondering if you had any others?"

Wait what? What was he doing? He couldn't eat more dessert. _What was he doing?_

Luffy's entire face lit up. "Yeah! Sanji makes the _best_ apple crumble, and um, something called a cream brully, and _really good_ mud pie - but that's not a _real_ mud pie, it's just called that - but then again, _everything_ Sanji makes is good. I don't know the names of the other stuff, but I remember those!"

"I'll take one of each," Law said, because that made _sense_ , right? He'd just asked for more recommendations, which meant he had to get all of them so he could figure out what he liked best. Right? … Right?

Fuck.

"Okay!" Luffy's smile widened. "I'll let Sanji know!"

He turned to hurry to the kitchen, only to pause as the other table motioned him over and rudely gave him back the tray, demanding he tell management to give them a discount for the terrible service. Luffy nodded and headed back into the kitchen.

"Um…" Lami twiddled her thumbs. "You do know how much these desserts cost, right? And there's the part where you can't eat all of that - you _know_ that… right?"

"I can cover it," Law replied, trying not to think about the fact that this was probably going to be a good chunk out of his paycheck and definitely not thinking about the impact on his stomach. "And I'll take whatever I don't finish to go."

"You barely finished the last bite," Lami reminded him. "You just ordered an apple crumble, a creme brulee, and a _mud pie._ The portions are huge!"

"Maybe they won't be so large because I ordered all three," Law speculated.

Lami gave him a _look._ "You're smarter than this."

Law shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "...I thought it might make him feel better if I asked for another recommendation," he mumbled, well aware of how much that did _not_ sound like a good reason.

"Are you at _least_ going to get his number before we leave?" Lami asked with a sigh of resignation. She knew logic wasn't going to impact Law's decisions at this point - he was always like that.

Law had reached for a glass of water, and now he practically choked on it as he drank. " _What?_ " he asked, staring at her with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

"I'm not oblivious," Lami reminded him. "And you wouldn't be going to all this effort if you weren't interested. If you're going to order every dessert on the menu, at least make an effort to get his number, too. Or you could write yours on the check when it comes, but I don't know if he'd notice it."

Law fidgeted in his seat - he might have preoccupied himself with cheesecake, except he'd eaten every bite on his plate. "What makes you think he'd want my number?" he asked, his gaze starting back towards the kitchen door, now suddenly concerned Luffy would appear _right then_ and hear them.

"I don't know," Lami shrugged. "But not giving him your number isn't going to help your situation, either."

Law tapped his fingers against the top of the table - he'd thought he'd at least managed to hide his _interest_ in Luffy, though he shouldn't have been surprised that Lami had picked up on it. She usually knew things about him that even _he_ didn't know. "What do you mean, my situation?" he asked, looking at her with uncertainty.

"Are you really going to sit there and tell me you ordered three more desserts because you want to relieve a random waiter's stress?" Lami asked, quirking an eyebrow. "And not because you've been staring at him every time he smiles? You ordered those desserts so he'd smile again."

Law flushed brilliantly at that, the red blush creeping up his neck and over his cheeks. "... Shit," was the only thing he could think of to say. All right, apparently he hadn't been as covert as he'd thought. At least with Lami. _He_ hadn't actually realized what the motivation for it was himself until she oh-so-blatantly laid it out for him like that.

"It's good to see you showing interest in someone again, and I like him a lot better than the last guy you were dating," Lami continued, pushing right past his embarrassment. "You should give it a try."

A try? Law frowned slightly, wishing again that he had something to sink his fork into - there was a bit of whipped cream still on one of the plates, and he occupied himself with trying to gather it up into something resembling a bite. It had been a long time since his last relationship, which hadn't lasted long enough for him to be sure whether or not to really classify it as a relationship at all. And Luffy was _nothing_ like any of the men he'd dated in the past. He was younger, for starters, and seemed to possess an inherent natural joy and optimism not found in most people.

 _Could_ he try dating him? It was hard to picture what that would be like, but he couldn't deny that he was attracted - Lami had made him realize that, at least. But would _Luffy_ want to date _him?_

"I think it's worth a shot," Lami encouraged, reading his dilemma easily. They'd always been incredibly close, confiding in each other and keeping each other's secrets. Lami was the one Law went to when he needed advice with his relationships, and Lami would have done the same if she'd _had_ any in the past. "So do me a favor and at _least_ try to exchange numbers somehow before we leave. Especially if I'm sitting here while you try to eat _three more desserts."_

At that, Law looked sheepish. "Well, when you put it _that_ way... " His stomach hurt just thinking about the prospect of those three desserts, but when he thought about the way Luffy had smiled when he'd asked for the new recommendations, he couldn't help but smile as well. Still… "You wouldn't want to share them, would you?"

"Oh, no, you're not dragging me down with you," Lami teased. "Not even a little!"

Before he could make another plea for his case, Luffy came back out of the kitchens with the desserts. He was almost to their table when one of the men from the other table stopped him to complain, without any consideration for the fact that Luffy was struggling to balance one of the dishes on his forearm, and the way he'd been grabbed had nearly caused him to drop everything.

As soon as the man let go, Luffy was _carefully_ walking over to the table, eyes on the apple crumble that teetered precariously from being jostled off balance.

As had been the case all evening Law's attention had immediately gone to Luffy when he'd emerged, and when the man had grabbed Luffy's arm, Law had found himself half-rising from his chair, bristling in clear irritation. Only the fact that nothing more than an obnoxious complaint had happened had kept him in his seat, but he watched Luffy like a hawk, poised to react if any one of his dishes did decide to tumble. Not that he knew, exactly, what he would do if it did - but he couldn't _ignore_ it, either.

Luffy made it to their table without dropping anything, a cocky smirk on his lips as he set the first dish down, then took the apple crumble off the crook of his arm and settled it on the table. The creme brulee was last, and then he was looking up and giving Law a brilliant, proud smile. "I brought your desserts!" His eyes flickered to the mud pie. "They're _really_ good. I'm gonna ask Sanji to make me some later if I do a good job…" his eyes flickered back to Law. "But I really hope you like them, too!"

Law's heart actually _flipped_ in his chest. "Do you want to have some of the mud pie?" he found himself asking, having noticed the way that Luffy glanced over at the pie with longing. He was obviously trying to hold himself back, but it was just as obvious that he desperately wanting to try it. And, well… Law had _way too much_ to eat…

Luffy's jaw dropped. "Can I?! Oh- wait, no, Sanji said the food is for people, not for Luffy," Luffy recited, looking serious. "I shouldn't eat anyone's food." With a stern nod, he started to back away, but Lami's laughter made him pause.

"That's only if you don't have permission," Lami informed him. "I'm Trafalgar Lami, and that's my big brother, Trafalgar Law. You've been doing such a good job taking care of our table, it's the least we can do."

Luffy opened his mouth, but he was starting to drool and he quickly had to close his mouth to hide it, eyes flickering first to Law's face and then to the mud pie.

Law reached out and pushed the plate with the mud pie on it firmly towards Luffy. "Go on," he said with a nod. If Luffy's gaze had lingered on him longer he might have made eye contact and tried to hold it, but Luffy had quickly returned his attention to the food. Which, Law had to admit, was endearing in and of itself.

"Okay, one bite. Thanks, Torao!" Luffy cried, somehow managing to get half of the mud pie in one spoonful and eating it without spilling a single drop. The ice cream was soft enough that he was able to finish it quickly, sighing happily. "Sanji really is the best!" he mused, looking back at Law with a big smile and a dab of chocolate sauce and whipped cream on his cheek. "You'll definitely enjoy the rest!"

Law's eyes widened at the unexpected nickname, and he found himself struck speechless in response. He also found himself unnervingly distracted by the chocolate sauce and whipped cream on Luffy's cheek, his imagination supplying him with several different ways he could clean it off for him - none of which were even remotely appropriate for their current setting.

Luffy hurried off again, ignoring the remarks about his appearance from the other table as he headed into the kitchen.

"It _is_ good," Lami relented, taking small bites of the mud pie with her own spoon. "I'll have to suggest this to Haruta next time we come here."

Law's attention remained on Luffy until he went back into the kitchen, and then he turned back to his sister. "Let me try a bit," he said, taking his fork to take a bite. He knew he wasn't going to be able to eat all of the dessert, but if he took it home it would last for the rest of the week. _Or_ , he thought suddenly, _he could give the leftovers to Luffy to take home._ He wondered what kind of expression the young waiter would have if he did that.

"This is the only one you have to finish," Lami told him, as if sensing his intentions. "I'm pretty sure the others can be taken home, but this one will melt."

She jumped at the sound of something banging around in the kitchen, only to grin sheepishly at the sudden, loud whining of a very familiar waiter.

"But Torao said I _could!"_

"I guess we have to leave a really good tip since we got him in trouble with the chef," Lami teased, looking up at Law.

"I'll cover it," Law said without hesitation. If he couldn't leave the food for Luffy, then a tip would work, right? He could write his number on the receipt then, too... Except Lami had a point about Luffy probably not noticing it. Or he'd notice it, and not realize what it was for.

"So after we finish this, let's get the check and slip him your number," Lami said matter-of-factly. "I could try to get his if you want."

"You'd do that?" Law looked at his sister in surprise - and then wondered why he was surprised. Of course she'd do that. She was his _sister._

"Sure," Lami flashed him a grin. "I don't mind asking for you."

Law felt his cheeks start to heat up, and he reached up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks," he said. Most people might be ashamed at having to get help from their little sister in this regard, but there was just… something about Luffy that made it difficult to figure out how to approach him. Or whether he should approach him at all. He wasn't the first person Law had ever been interested in - but he was _different._

Lami opened her mouth to answer, then shut it at the sound of Luffy's return, glancing over as he tried to refill drinks for the other table.

He didn't remember who had ordered what specifically - instead bringing all of the drink pitchers on a tray and asking them to tell them what they wanted so he could refill them - and of course, they loudly voiced their opinions about his incompetence and the hassle of having to basically re-order their drinks on the spot. Luffy continued to work with a cheerful smile, apologizing for his bad memory, and by the time he finished with their drinks and turned, he seemed exhausted.

Like the last time, his expression fell as he struggled to keep his happy look in place, and then he was smiling and bringing the tray over to Law and Lami's table. "Did you guys want drinks? Lamby? Torao?"

Lami's eyebrow went up - he'd picked Torao as Law's name based on their last name, but he'd gone with her first name… and it was honestly a little endearing how he'd gotten them wrong. It was almost like a nickname. "I don't need anything." She looked back to Law, nodding at him to ask for the check and to-go boxes - and pausing when she saw the look on Law's face.

She should have known he wouldn't be able to just sit by while the other table blatantly disrespected and mocked Luffy, especially not now that he'd admitted his interest - and she suddenly had to wonder if he was going to order more just to have an excuse to stay longer so he could keep an eye on the situation. Even though they'd only barely finished the mud pie and the other two desserts hadn't even been touched.

"I'll take a refill," Law said, tapping his empty glass for emphasis and giving Luffy a slight smile. "We may be here for awhile, if you don't mind - I'd like to take my time." The other two desserts were clearly untouched, but Law's words made it clear he intended to eat them eventually.

"You can stay as long as you want!" Luffy encouraged. "What drink did you have?" He shot the glass a dubious look, as if trying to guess based on the color.

A refill on water, and a glass of cola if you have it," Law replied. He'd started off with wine, but knew better than to drink more of it when he didn't know how much longer he was going to be there. The other table hadn't even gotten their main course yet.

Luffy filled the water to the top, then filled a new glass with cola and handed it over. His hand brushed Law's as he did so, and he pulled back quick enough that it almost spilled the cola. "Just let me know if you need anything! else!"

He was gone before Law could answer.

Law sat there, hand remaining still and in the same position as when Luffy had brushed against it. He could still feel the warmth of Luffy's hand, and even though he knew it wasn't possible, he could have sworn he'd felt a spark when their hands had brushed together. But that kind of thing didn't _actually_ happen - did it?

"Dr. Trafalgar? Paging, Dr. Trafalgar?" Lami teased, seeing the look on his face.

Law's cheeks burned, and he moved his hand to pick up his glass. "I'm here," he mumbled, taking a drink to try and hide his embarrassment. Good lord, he was acting like a teeanger!

"I'll text Haruta and let him know my plans are delayed," Lami joked. After all, she was the one driving since Law had been drinking, even if it wasn't much. "At the rate we're going I'll just have to see him tomorrow."

Law immediately looked chagrined. "You had plans with him for tonight?" he asked. He tried to remember if she'd mentioned that - she probably had, but he was so thoroughly distracted that he couldn't recall much from earlier that day.

"Yeah, but it's not a big deal," Lami promised. "But since I'm sacrificing precious time that could have been spent making out," she teased, knowing he'd make a face at the reminder that she was not his _baby_ sister anymore, "you'd better make sure you exchange numbers with Luffy."

Law _did_ make the required face, and then gave a slight, if a little awkward, chuckle. "Oh, is that how it's going to be?" he teased back. "Well, all right then. I'll see what I can do."

"Good. But I swear if you actually finish both of those desserts, I'm going to throw up," Lami warned him, shaking her head. "I can barely _move."_

"I think I can manage a bite every once in awhile," Law said, eyeing the desserts in question with his own trepidation. "Just enough so that he won't think we don't like them."

"Why don't you just ask him if he wants some when he comes back?" Lami asked. 'That way he gets to have some and you don't curl up on the couch with a stomachache for the next five hours."

Law paused with his fork in mid-air, and then motioned to Lami with it. "That," he said, "is a great idea." And it just might lift Luffy's spirits as well, after dealing with the other table.

"Of course it's a great idea," Lami teased. " _I_ thought of it." She slipped her phone out of her pocket to send a quick message to Haruta, then put it away again. "We're lucky it's a slow night here."

Law nodded. Business hadn't picked up - the few people who had come in recently had done so damp, which explained the decrease in walk-ins, and even those customers had only been picking up to-go orders. A slow night wasn't necessarily bad for a restaurant as popular as the Baratie, and in this case, it meant no one was waiting for their table, and they could stay for as long as they liked.

He cast a look over at the other table, then shook his head. "If they're that displeased with service, why are they even still here?" he muttered under his breath.

Lami shot him a pointed look. They'd both dealt with those kinds of people before - the kind who would complain even when nothing was wrong, try to score a free or comped meal, and leave with a sense of superiority when all they'd done was make the workers miserable. It was disgusting, but not surprising anymore.

Law met Lami's gaze and then shook his head in disgust. At least they could do something to try and make it a little easier on Luffy, by giving him a table that _wasn't_ out to drive him crazy that night. It wasn't much - he felt like he should have been able to do more - but it was the best that he could manage given the circumstances.

Luffy came back within five minutes of having left the last time, and this time he was carrying a large tray filled with entrees. When he showed up at the table - the same table who had complained about having to wait for their food - they immediately berated him for bringing so much food when they still had their appetizers and demanded he stand there holding it until they were ready despite the fact that the tray was clearly _heavy._

Law clenched his jaw, keeping an eye on Luffy and watching him hold the tray steady while he waited for them to finish their appetizers. Appetizers, Law noted, that they seemed to deliberately be taking their time eating. He half expected one of them to push away a half-finished plate and declare that it was disgusting or inedible.

While the table seemed amused and waiting for Luffy to complain or falter, or maybe even spill something, Luffy didn't seem bothered. He stood, holding the tray steadily with a bored expression. Honestly, the most difficult part for him seemed to be looking at the array of delicious food in his hands and knowing he wasn't allowed to actually _eat_ it.

Law's eyes had gone slightly wide as he realized that Luffy wasn't even slightly strained by holding the tray steady for so long - it was as if the tray weighed half of what it must have to him, which told Law one clear thing: that underneath that waiter's uniform, Luffy had to have an incredible amount of muscle. Contrary to what some people thought, you didn't need to have a bodybuilder's physique to be strong. You could be as lean and slender as someone like Luffy and still have the same amount of strength, if you took the time to hone your body and keep in shape.

Lami, having reached the same conclusion as Law, swiftly kicked him under the table, but not hard enough to _hurt_ him. "Stop drooling," she advised in a sweet, playful voice.

Law did his best to school his reaction to Lami so that it didn't show - and he _wasn't_ drooling. He was just… _impressed._ Luffy didn't look like the sort of guy who would take the kind of time and dedication that it required to maintain strength like that, but Law didn't actually need to see his body to know that he did.

Okay.

Maybe he was drooling. A little.

The other patrons eventually gave up - with one of the women pushing her plate away as expected to claim it hadn't tasted good. Since the plate was almost empty, it was clear she was only saying it to complain.

"I think there might be something wrong with your tastebuds," Luffy explained, setting the plates down. "All of Sanji's food is delicious. You might want to see a doctor."

"How _dare_ you speak to the customer like that!" The woman immediately complained.

"I'm worried," Luffy explained earnestly, looking to her. "If you didn't think Sanji's food was delicious, something might be wrong!"

She twitched at the realization that he meant it - that he wasn't trying to talk back to her - and sighed, loudly. "Just forget it."

"Okay," Luffy agreed, setting the plates down and loading the tray back up with the finished plates as they shuffled around to give the food to the correct recipients.

Law didn't bother trying to hide his grin. Luffy had sounded so earnest, so _sincere_ , that not even the woman had been able to continue on her tirade. It was thoroughly entertaining - but also a little worrisome. It was all too likely that either she or her companions would make a stronger attempt at harassment when Luffy returned to help them next.

Luffy hurried off with the tray, then came rushing back to check on Law and Lami's table next. His eyes found the two desserts that had barely even been touched and his expression fell a little. "Is something wrong with your tastebuds too?" he asked, looking at Law with concern in his eyes.

Law chuckled. "No, we're just taking our time," he assured him. "And actually," here he paused briefly, hoping he didn't seem as awkward as he felt, "we were wondering if you wanted one of them for yourself."

Luffy's mouth opened, and he almost started drooling. He quickly shut it, biting his lip and straightening. "Sanji's gonna yell at me if I eat your food…"

"Will you tell him it was my idea, and I think he's wonderful?" Lami asked, smiling up at Luffy. "Then he won't be mad."

Luffy contemplated this. "Well, you _are_ a lady, and Sanji doesn't get mad at ladies," he agreed." His eyes flickered to the creme brulee, then to Law. "Are you _sure?_ It's your food…"

Law reached out and firmly pushed the plate in Luffy's direction. "I'm sure," he said in a tone that was impossible to argue with. "Go on. Consider it a thank you for good service."

Luffy beamed at Law, accepting the plate and staring at him for a moment, eyes shining. "Thank you, Torao! Thank you, Lamby! You're both really nice! You're my friends now."

Law immediately felt his cheeks start to heat up, which he quickly sought to hide by turning his attention to the other dessert and pulling it to him. "You're, uh, welcome," he stammered.

"I'm glad to hear that, Luffy," Lami said with a bright smile. "We should hang out sometime when you're not working."

"Okay!" Luffy agreed, hastily devouring the creme brulee. He glanced at Law again as he finished, absently licking his lips to get the last of the custard.

Something tightened within Law as he desperately tried _not_ to stare at the sight of Luffy licking his lips. He busied himself with taking a bite of the crumble, because maybe if he distracted his body with food he knew he shouldn't be eating, it wouldn't become fixated on _other_ things.

"Thanks again, Torao! Did you need anything else before I go?" Luffy asked.

Law cast a look around the table in case there was anything else he could use as an excuse, but there was nothing. Even their glasses were still mostly full. "No, we're good for now," he said, relieved that Luffy hadn't picked up on his reaction. "Thanks."

Lami watched Luffy dash off again, then shook her head at Law. "You dropped crumble on your shirt, you know," she pointed out, doubting he'd noticed that a good chunk - whipped cream and all - had fallen while he'd been staring at Luffy.

Law glanced down, and then immediately grabbed a napkin and began cleaning his shirt off. "How did _that_ happen?" he muttered. He'd been _incredibly_ focused on the crumble - he couldn't believe he'd gotten it on his shirt without realizing it.

"This is equal parts hilarious and sad - and mostly sweet," Lami teased him. "You _have_ to get him to go on a date with you. You just _have_ to."

Law let out a groan, pushing the crumble to the side and then dropping his head into his arms. "What if he's not interested?" he asked, his voice muffled by his arms. He could easily _not_ be interested in Law - or even not interested in dating, _period_. Luffy hadn't actually said or done anything that might seem like he would be. Was he setting himself up for failure before even getting a chance?

"Won't know unless you try," Lami commented with a shrug. She smiled ruefully. "You'll regret it if you don't at least put yourself out there."

Law sighed, lifting his head just enough to look at her. "I'd argue with you about that," he said, "but you'd still win in the end." He sat up again, trying to ignore the nervous butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Really, at his age he ought to be beyond this sort of nervousness.

Lami reached across the table and put a hand on his arm. "But seriously. If I see you take one more bite of food, I'm gonna be sick."

Unfortunately, they couldn't very well sit there and keep pretending to eat the same crumble. It was with great reluctance that Law requested a to-go box, bristling from yet another round of the other table treating Luffy like dirt. To make up for not speaking up on Luffy's behalf or doing something - _anything_ \- to show his support, Law wound up tipping the entire price of the bill. Lami could barely watch it happen, cringing at the amount of money he'd awkwardly set under one of the glasses on the table. She made sure he wrote his phone number on the receipt as well, assuring him she'd ask Luffy for his before they left.

As Luffy arrived to collect the money - seemingly oblivious to the amount Law had tipped - Lami pleasantly asked if he had a cell phone number. He'd replied that his cell phone was broken, which had been the last of Law's nerve and resolve. Since Luffy had clearly scanned the receipt and seen the number without commenting, Law had grabbed Lami's arm and quickly headed for the exit.

"Oniichan," Lami complained softly once they were outside. "You didn't even say goodnight to him."

"That's okay," Law said hurriedly. "That's… fine. That's good." He took a deep breath, trying not to feel like he was about to pass out. He swallowed hard, and maybe it was the wine, but the words just tumbled free from his lips. "He barely even looked at it, but he must have seen the number. He _must_ have."

"You heard him," Lami argued softly. "His phone's broken. Maybe he's saving the number until his phone works again."

"But a cell phone can't be the only number he can be reached at," Law said miserably. "He didn't offer an alternative. If he was actually interested, he could have come up with _something_."

"Maybe," Lami reached up to hug onto his arm rather than have him keep tugging her along. "But he still might call you. Maybe he was maintaining his… er… professionalism," Lami suggested, even though she highly doubted Luffy would have worried about such a thing with _them_ after the way he'd spoke with them and eaten some of their food.

The look on Law's face made it clear what he thought about that possibility, but instead of saying anything out loud, he just let out a sigh and hung his head. He couldn't help replaying it all in his head, wondering if there was anything he could have done different. Been more direct, less awkward - or would none of that have made a difference? Maybe he was too old. Maybe Luffy just wasn't into men. Or into anyone at all.

Lami sighed softly, leaning against him as they walked. "I'm sorry, Oniichan."

Law looked at her then, and his expression softened. "It's all right, Lami," he said softly. "You put up with a lot more tonight than you should have had to. Thanks."

* * *

Sanji leaned back in his chair, tilting the front legs off the ground and propping his feet up on the table. He lit a cigarette and brought it to his mouth - the break room was one of the few places he was allowed to smoke in the restaurant, and even then only once he was finished with his shift. They'd closed the kitchen for the night, however - now they just had to wait for the last customers to finish their meals so that they could close up the dining area.

Luffy came into the room shortly after, a perplexed look on his face. He seemed happy - pleased with himself - but there was clearly something bothering him.

Sanji raised an eyebrow at the clearly contradicting expressions on Luffy's face. "What's up, Luffy?" he asked. He was used to seeing his friend _happy_ , but it was the other expression that concerned him. Why was Luffy looking _troubled?_

"Oh. I have Cosette's tips from the last table," Luffy said, looking up and grinning. "It was a lot! I don't think the other table is gonna leave any tips, but Cosette will be happy with this, right?" He asked, digging in his apron and producing both the cash - much more cash than one would logically expect from a single table - and the receipt.

Sanji stared at the amount of money that Luffy was holding. "...What the actual fuck?" he asked. "Let me see that receipt. Is this the table that kept ordering all of those desserts?" He mentally counted how much the bill had been for that table, then what the tip _should_ have been - and it was nowhere near the amount that Luffy had in his hands.

"Yeah, Torao and Lamby," Luffy answered, handing it over. "I really liked them. Torao's the one that let me have two - er, one - of his desserts."

Sanji took the receipt and scanned it - everything appeared to be rung up correctly. It was seriously just that for whatever reason, someone had decided to tip the full amount of the bill. He was about to comment on the correction of the number of desserts when he suddenly noticed the number printed neatly at the bottom. "... Is this a phone number?" he asked, both eyebrows going _way_ up.

Luffy blinked in confusion. "I didn't tell them my phone number. I don't know what it is until I fix it." He sighed softly. "I hope they come back so we can hang out. They were really cheering me up when everyone at the other table kept being rude. I wish they'd stayed longer."

Sanji nearly passed over the mention of the other table, because honestly, Luffy thought people eating food _he_ wanted to eat could be considered rude - except that there was something in the way Luffy said it, and in the way he'd stated he needed to be cheered up, that made Sanji pause. He looked up from the receipt and narrowed his eyes. "Explain to me - in detail - what you mean about the other table being rude."

"There's something wrong with them. They kept saying they didn't like the food, so their taste buds are broken," Luffy declared. "And they kept saying I was stupid and slow because I couldn't remember who wanted what. I thought they'd all want some of it! It's really good!" Luffy sighed again. "But I couldn't kick their asses because they're your customers and I have to be nice to customers," he recited the last part as he'd been told by Sanji and Cosette. "But I definitely don't want to see them again, not like Lamby and Torao."

Sanji narrowed his eyes, feeling a rush of anger at the description of what Luffy had been dealing with that evening. First things first, though. He held up the receipt. "All right," he said. "Luffy, look at this." He pointed to the phone number at the bottom. "That guy was giving you his phone number. Then he asked you for _your_ phone number. I'm going to make a wild guess here and say that he probably left as soon as you told him your phone was broken?"

"Yeah, he left in a hurry," Luffy recalled, frowning at the number on the receipt. "That's not for me, though. Everything's Cosette's, remember? And your old man keeps the receipts, doesn't he?"

"Oh, my god, Luffy…" Sanji shook his head in exasperation. "He was writing the number on the receipt so that _you_ would have it. He was _hitting_ on you! Giving you those desserts, that tip, now this - it means he's _interested_ in you!"

Luffy blinked. He looked at the receipt, then at Sanji. Then at the receipt. His eyes widened. "Wait, Torao was…!" The blush crept up from the back of his neck to his ears. "How do I hit back?!" His question may have been worded poorly, but his earnest, almost frantic tone suggested he was _highly_ receptive to the idea of getting involved with Law.

Sanji grinned broadly as Luffy's reaction gave him the answer that he needed to know. "Go after him," Sanji said with a chuckle. "Because who the hell knows when your phone is going to be fixed. Don't worry about your last table - I'll handle cashing them out."

"Okay," Luffy grinned sheepishly, then jumped on Sanji in a hug. "You're the best, Sanji! Thanks!"

Sanji laughed and returned the hug, then released Luffy and gave him a nudge. "Go on, then," he said. "Before they reach their car and take off."

Luffy nodded, hastily yanking his apron off and grabbing his beloved straw hat from the back of a chair. He hadn't been able to wear it while waiting tables, but he'd trusted Sanji to make sure nothing happened to it. As soon as it was in place, he dashed back out of the restaurant, ignoring the indignant comments about his loud actions or 'rustic' appearance from the group that had been trying to tear him down all night.

Sanji watched Luffy dash off with affection, chuckling softly to himself. Luffy, running of to go hit on a guy. Not the outcome he'd been expecting for the night, but hey, as long as _Luffy_ was happy, right?

And now… Sanji's grin turned into a smirk, an evil glint appearing in his eye. _Now_ he had a table to see to.

* * *

"Torao!"

The shout made Lami jump, missing the handle on the car and hissing in pain as it snapped back. She looked up to see Luffy running down the sidewalk towards them, one hand holding a worn straw hat to his head and the other waving. He was no longer wearing the apron or the nametag, and his entire focus was on Law.

Law's head snapped up, his hand on his own door handle, and he stared at Luffy in disbelief. That could not possibly be Luffy running towards him. It just… couldn't be. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him - he'd either had more wine than he'd realized, or too much dessert was affecting him in unexpected ways. Either way, that _couldn't_ be Luffy

Luffy ran straight up to Law, stopping in front of him and grinning. "Torao, I'm hitting back!" He announced.

Law's eyes widened, and he stared down at him. "You're… what?" he asked, still stunned by this unexpected turn of events.

Luffy grinned brighter. "Hitting back! Sanji said you were writing your phone number on the receipt for _me,_ so you were hitting on me. I'm hitting back!" he repeated with an eager expression.

Lami choked, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth as she realized _exactly_ what Luffy was trying to say.

Law's jaw dropped, and he found himself almost _blinded_ by the brilliance that was Luffy. "You… you mean it?" he asked, still not quite daring to believe it. He'd had himself almost completely convinced that he'd been thoroughly shot down and rejected. He hadn't expected Luffy to chase him down like this. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Luffy reached out and grabbed Law's hand. "I don't have a phone right now, though, so we have to decide on a date right now. That way we can find each other." He cocked his head to the side. "Your face is a little red. Are you okay?"

Law let out a sudden cough, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he became weirdly fixated on Luffy holding his hand. "I'm fine," he hastened to assure him. He knew he had to be blushing furiously - how could he _not?_ "So, okay. A date, then. When's a, ah, good time for you?" He could feel the heat in his cheeks getting worse as he stumbled over his words.

"I dunno," Luffy admitted. "But I want to date you, so we need to make a date. I'm hanging out with my brothers this weekend, but we can meet at the Baratie sometime after?"

"Sure," Law decided without hesitation. Then he paused and quickly went through his schedule in his head. "I have work Saturday night, but I'll be free by Sunday afternoon."

"Sunday," Luffy agreed. He gave a crooked grin. "It's a promise. You better be there, Torao."

"He will be," Lami chuckled. "I'll make sure of it. You didn't get in trouble for leaving to come ask him out, did you?"

"Nah, Sanji said he was gonna take care of that asshole table," Luffy answered cheerfully. He still had yet to let go of Law's hand.

"Good," Law said, unable to resist giving Luffy's hand a squeeze and a slight smile. All he knew about Sanji was that he was one of the Baratie cooks, but that table deserved whatever they got and he had a feeling, from the way Luffy spoke, that they were going to get more than they bargained for. "They didn't have the right to treat you like that."

"No, they didn't," Luffy acknowledged. "But they were Sanji's customers, so I had to be nice to them. That's also how I'm supposed to get tips, and Cosette really needed tips so I made sure to earn as much as I could for her."

"You aren't keeping any of the tips you got…?" Lami questioned.

"Nah! They go to all the people who did the real work," Luffy answered. "I was just helping out because Sanji and the others are all my friends."

Law stared at Luffy - and then he couldn't help it, he just _laughed_. The absurdity of the entire situation was just… it was _absurd._ He'd given Luffy his number and it hadn't registered to him; he'd tipped one hundred percent, but that money was going to their original waitress. He was probably going to crash from the sugar high he was currently feeling from all of the desserts he'd consumed. And somehow - _somehow_ \- he was still going on a date with Luffy. What had even _happened?_

Luffy grinned again at the sound of Law's laughter. He gave Law's hand a squeeze, then slowly let go and pulled back. "I'll see you for our date, then? I should get back and make sure Sanji doesn't need anything else."

Law nodded, pulling his own hand back with some reluctance. He'd liked how _warm_ Luffy's hand had felt. "Sunday," he said firmly, making the word into a clear promise.

Luffy laughed, looking almost sheepish at the confirmation of their date again, before waving. "See you then, Torao. See you later, Lamby!"

"I'm sure I will," Lami said with a small laugh of her own. "Goodnight!"

Luffy turned and dashed back the way he'd come, far more energetic than they'd seen him in the restaurant. Lami couldn't help but shoot Law a knowing, smug look.

Law watched Luffy go, a slight grin on his face - which immediately vanished when he saw the look Lami was sending his way. "What?" he asked, trying to pretend like he hadn't just been starting after Luffy looking like a lovestruck teenager. "Come on, let's get home. I need to give Cora-san a call, remember?"

"Uh-huh. You're welcome, by the way," Lami teased, climbing into the car.

Law paused as he was getting in, feeling his face heat up. "... Thanks," he murmured, before getting into the car the rest of the way. He was going to be repaying her for this for a very long time.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! We will continue working on these as we can, especially once we move out of the busiest time of year at work.**

**Much love to all of the people leaving kudos/reviews/comments/sending us prompts. We love you!**


	6. Brother Approval (MarcoAce)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ahhh three day weekends. Akatsuki and I want to say thanks so much for all of the wonderful responses. We're still going through all of the tumblr prompts we received, and we will slowly (but surely) get them done!
> 
> A prompt from Anonymous: Could you do a modernAU Marcoace where Ace tells his brothers that he's dating marco. They're both ok with it, Actually their really happy Ace has someone, especially luffy, but at some point when ace is away(bathroom or something) they give him the whole "hurt our brother and we hurt you" speech; emphasis on protective sabo and giddy luffy. Thank you so much for these fics btw, love em so much your both such good writers!
> 
> (awww thank you, anon-chan!)

* * *

_**Ripples in the Sea** _

_**Brother Approval (MarcoAce)** _

* * *

Ace really had no idea why he'd felt _nervous,_ of all things. From the knowing glances Sabo had been shooting him all night to the earnest confusion on Luffy's face, it was clear his idea of announcing his involvement with Marco may have been a tad unnecessary.

"So… yeah," he continued lamely, twisting his napkin together. "Marco and I are dating."

"Is this new?" Luffy asked, frowning at Ace and then reaching for another hamburger.

"Well, no," Ace started, but Sabo cut him off.

"You two weren't really being discreet, you know. I was waiting for you to tell me on your own and I can't believe it took you this long."

Luffy shrugged. "You've been really happy ever since you started spending more time with Marco. Nami told me you two were probably having sex."

"Luffy!" Ace admonished, horrified by how bluntly he'd stated it. Fact or not, he still hadn't expected something like that to come out of _Luffy's_ mouth!

"Well, it's true, right?" Sabo raised his eyebrow at Ace, then fixed a pointed glance on Marco. "No one really believed you were spending all that free time volunteering at a pet shop for _fun."_

"The animals _are_ fun, though," Luffy added. "We should get a dog. And a snake. And-"

"And anyway," Sabo cut Luffy off, though he did place his hand on Luffy's head and ruffle his hair, "You're eighteen, perfectly capable of making your own decisions about your love life. Now that you've come clean, however, we don't have to hold back anymore."

Ace's cheeks darkened, but he reached over to take Marco's hand, showing that he was willing to take whatever teasing they threw his way. "So you're really okay with it, then? I mean, it's only been a couple of months, but we're not _casual_ or anything _,_ so…"

"So?" Luffy piped up again, reaching for one of the hamburgers on Ace's plate. "You're happy, so why wouldn't we be okay with it?"

Sabo raised his eyebrows at Ace. "Did you really think we _wouldn't_ be okay with this?" he asked.

Marco wrapped his hand around Ace's and squeezed it, grinning with amusement. He'd had suspicions that Sabo and Luffy knew more than they were letting on, but Ace had been so determined to keep quiet about it that he'd gone along with him. He'd been gently urging him to tell them lately, though, and he was pleased to see that his instincts had been correct.

"Of course not! I mean, I was a little worried," Ace admitted, smiling sheepishly and squeezing back. "I wasn't really trying to keep it a secret or anything - okay maybe I was a little - but it just _happened._ And I really was volunteering to help, you know. I can't help it if the animals like me."

"It's true," Luffy nodded in agreement. "Even the birds really like Ace."

Marco chuckled. "They really do, yoi," he agreed. "I have a picture in my office of three of them perched on Ace's shoulders and head. He couldn't get them off, yoi."

"You've never shown us that picture," Sabo said, flashing Ace a grin of his own.

"Didn't know it existed until literally this moment," Ace muttered, ducking his head.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Luffy asked Marco, reaching for one of the hamburgers on his plate.

"Oi! Luffy!" Ace complained, looking up and smacking his hand. "Don't go eating off Marco's plate! You have your own!" He blinked, realizing all of the hamburgers had vanished from his plate as well. He'd been so focused on announcing his relationship that he hadn't noticed Luffy taking his food. "Damn it!"

"There's more in the kitchen," Sabo said, not looking the least bit surprised by this. His own plate still had food, but only because he'd positioned himself so that Luffy would have to climb halfway over him to get to it. Normally, this wouldn't deter him - but Luffy had found easier targets with Marco and Ace.

Ace sighed, then shot Luffy a _look._ "I'm gonna get more food for both of us. Do _not_ take Marco's food without asking!"

He let go of Marco, grabbing both his plate and Luffy's before stalking into the kitchen. Luffy watched him go, then turned to Marco.

"Can I have your food?" Luffy asked, reaching out and snagging Marco's hamburger before he had a chance to answer.

Marco raised an eyebrow, looking mildly amused. "Sure, yoi," he said. What else was he supposed to say? The food was already gone, and besides which, Ace was going to bring more. He'd been warned about Luffy's eating habits beforehand, so it wasn't like he was _surprised_ by this.

Sabo gave Luffy a look that was half exasperated, half affectionate. Then he glanced towards the kitchen - and his expression promptly turned serious. "So," he said, looking straight at Marco. "Ace said the two of you weren't casual. How _not casual_ are you?"

And there it was, the part of this dinner that Marco had been bracing himself for. With how close Ace was to his brothers, and given that Marco knew for a fact this was Ace's first real relationship, it was only natural that at least one of them would give him the first degree. _Especially_ considering their age difference.

"Not casual in the slightest, yoi," Marco replied. "I'm completely serious about your brother."

"That's good," Luffy agreed around a mouthful of food. He gave a wide grin, looking to Marco brightly. "Because Ace is really happy when he's with you and when he talks about you, so if you ever hurt Ace or made him stop smiling, I'd have to kick your ass. Sabo would probably have to hide the body."

"If that ever happened, I'd let you do it, yoi," Marco said with the utmost seriousness. Sabo gave him a searching look, but there was no sense that Marco was making light of what Luffy had said, or mocking them in any way.

"Oh, I wouldn't need you to let me," Luffy informed him. "I'm really strong, you know."

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you how serious we are about this," Sabo added, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes at Marco. "How _important_ Ace's happiness is to us. And how we'll do _anything_ to make sure that he stays happy. And, if that happiness is threatened in any way… well. I'm sure you understand, don't you?" He smiled, but it wasn't a _warm_ smile. It was definitely one of those _warning_ smiles.

Marco nodded. "I understand, yoi," he said without hesitation. He tried not to focus on how _natural_ this unexpected side of Sabo seemed to be.

"Do you?" Sabo asked. "Because the thing is, Ace doesn't value himself that much. At all, really. He'd probably put aside his own needs without even thinking about it to make sure you're happy. So if it looks like you're taking advantage of that - if we think Ace is going to be _hurt_ …" He trailed off, but the threat hung there, unspoken.

Marco took a deep breath. He'd picked up on that in Ace, from the things he said and the way he acted at times. When they'd first met his primary concern had been to watch out for the younger man - but that had quickly shifted to far more intimate feelings after they'd begun their relationship.

"I swear," he said quietly, "that I will never take advantage of Ace, or intentionally hurt him. And if I ever hurt him _unintentionally_ , I will do everything in my power to make up for it, yoi. Ace means that much to me."

Luffy nodded again, humming a little as he finished the last handful of fries on his plate. "Good. Ace doesn't think he deserves anything, but we know he deserves _everything,_ so you have to give that to him. Got it?" He looked sternly at Marco, then turned his attention to Sabo with a bright smile, clearly proud to weigh in on the same threat. He tended to lean towards threatening physical violence to anyone who hurt his brothers - he needed to make sure he'd said it correctly, and Sabo was the best judge of that.

Sabo looked at Luffy and nodded, smiling at his younger brother. That was _exactly_ what needed to be said.

"I got it," Marco confirmed. He showed no signs of irritation at the constant affirmations they seemed to be expecting from him. "Trust me when I say that there's nothing I want more for Ace, yoi." The thought of being able to give Ace everything - if he had that chance, he'd consider himself the luckiest man alive.

"I like him, Sabo," Luffy decided. He'd only met Marco a handful of times, mostly when he was dropping Ace off, or when they'd visited the pet store. He'd already decided he liked him from the start - but now he _really_ liked him.

Sabo nodded thoughtfully. "I think he'll do," he decided, and Marco let out a breath of relief. He wasn't sure what would have happened if he _hadn't_ met their approval, but he was glad that he wasn't going to have to find out.

"Okay," Ace said, coming back into the room with impeccable timing. He had several plates of hamburgers and fries balanced on his arms and in his hands. "I brought everything. I figured Luffy probably ate your food, right?" He looked up at Marco and flashed a sheepish grin.

Marco grinned back at Ace. "Some of it, yoi," he said, and there was no mistaking the warm look in his eyes. "But I'll take a bit more of you have it."

Ace headed over and set the plates down, shaking his head when Luffy simply grabbed two of them, then sat beside Marco and offered him the last plate - as well as another shy smile. "I hope Luffy wasn't bugging you too much," he teased.

"Nah," Marco said, accepting the plate without breaking eye contact. "It's fine. I'm used to that sort of enthusiasm from my own brothers - you've met Thatch, remember, yoi?"

"Yeah, but Thatch _gives_ people more food, and Luffy just takes it all away," Ace chuckled with obvious affection.

Sabo smiled. "At least we finally got Luffy to ask," he joked. "Granted, he does it while he's taking it - or after - but it's a start."

Ace grinned at Sabo. "Well if _someone_ hadn't kept giving into those puppy eyes and letting him have all the food while he was growing up, maybe he'd have a bit more restraint."

Sabo gave Ace an incredulous look. "Do you _really_ think that?" he asked him. "I'm not sure 'Luffy' and 'restraint' should ever belong in the same sentence."

"Fair enough," Ace relented, though he kept grinning. "But you spoiled him way more than I did."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sabo said, obviously feigning skepticism even as he started to grin. He knew full well that Ace was right, but that didn't mean he was going to _admit_ it.

Marco chuckled, amused by their banter - it reminded him of dinners with his own family, though with only one conversation going on and not quite as _loud_. And meanwhile, through it all, Luffy was shoveling food right into his mouth.

"Tch," Ace rolled his eyes, then grabbed one of his hamburgers before Luffy got any bright ideas about stealing more food. "You better hurry up," he advised Marco. "Luffy'll keep eating until it's all gone. He's a bottomless pit."

"I'll keep that in mind, yoi," Marco replied, picking up his own hamburger. He was going to have to keep a close eye on his food, at least until he'd had a chance to eat what he'd wanted. Self-preservation seemed to indicate that having extra food on the plate to distract Luffy was a good idea, but he'd already lost one full plate.

"Now that I think about it, Thatch would probably really get a kick out of feeding Luffy," Ace joked. "We should take him over to Thatch's restaurant later."

"This sounds like a good idea," Luffy readily agreed, nodding. "Thatch is my friend."

"Idiot, you've never met him," Ace teased.

"But he wants to feed me," Luffy argued. "So he's my friend."

Marco shook his head. "If Luffy reacts like _that_ to Thatch feeding him, then Thatch might never stop, yoi," he joked, looking over at Ace. The only thing that made Thatch happier than cooking was when people were happy _with_ his cooking.

"So now we have to," Ace decided. He looked over at Sabo. "Wanna go out to dinner tomorrow? You should meet Thatch too, he's pretty great."

"He's awesome," Luffy agreed, looking up at Sabo earnestly.

Sabo grinned. "Sure, why not?" he agreed. "I don't have any plans for tomorrow."

"I'll put in a reservation, yoi," Marco volunteered. Thatch's restaurant was often booked full, but he always kept a few tables open for walk-ins and last minute requests from his family. More than few of his brothers had been known to impress a date by being able to book a 'last-minute' reservation at one of the most popular restaurants in the city.

Ace turned his attention back to Marco, flashing a small grin. They managed to eat the rest of dinner in relative peace, with Luffy _finally_ stating he was full and then urging them to come play videogames with him. When Marco agreed to play with Luffy, Ace had barely held back from kissing him on the spot, clearly happy with how Marco and Luffy were getting along. It didn't matter that they'd met before or that he'd known they liked each other - seeing them interacting after announcing they were dating made Ace almost giddy with delight.

As he helped Sabo bring the dishes into the kitchen, he couldn't help glancing over into the living room and smiling. "What do you think, Sabo? I mean, what do you _really_ think about all of this," he clarified, turning his attention to Sabo with a searching expression. Sabo had spent less time around Marco than Luffy, so it was harder for Ace to discern how he felt about them actually dating. He figured he could get the most honest answers while they were alone.

Sabo carried his pile of dishes over to the sink, setting them in the basin and starting up the water. He turned to look at Ace, his expression serious because he knew that Ace wanted his honest, upfront opinion.

"I think," Sabo said, "that he's a good guy, Ace. I'll admit that the age difference made me hesitant, but I think he really cares about you. Most importantly, though, is that I think he makes _you_ happy. As long as he keeps doing that, you've got my support."

Ace smiled in relief, bringing his stack of dishes over and setting them next to the sink so Sabo could get to them when he was ready. Then he took his place on Sabo's other side to dry the dishes and put them on the rack as Sabo handed them to him. "You guys didn't threaten him, did you? He really _is_ a good guy, Sabo. And the age difference is why it took me so long to get him to agree to date me - he didn't even believe me the first time I told him I was already eighteen."

Sabo's eyebrows went up. "Really?" he asked, and his approval was obvious in his tone. He'd assumed that Marco had been the one to pursue Ace, but it sounded as if _Ace_ had had to be the one to convince _Marco._ Hearing that Marco had been hesitant because of Ace's age initially - as far as he was concerned, that was a _good_ thing.

Ace snorted. "Yeah, really. He had no idea I was flirting with him. I didn't even register to him. I had to tell him to take me seriously as an adult." His cheeks burned. "He literally made me show him my ID, Sabo. And _then_ he was still reluctant. Man, when I say it out loud, I kind of sound like a creep."

Sabo let out a laugh, passing the first of the washed plates to Ace to dry. "You are the farthest from a creep that there is, Ace," he said affectionately. "Don't worry about _that_." He picked up another plate. "But still, I'm glad to hear that there was some hesitation on his part. It means it's more than basic physical attraction."

Ace scowled and dried the plate with a little more aggression than necessary. "If physical attraction would have worked, I'd have gotten him into bed in the first week," he muttered. "But it's like he didn't even look at me that way, you know? At least not until we started dating."

"That's not a bad thing," Sabo pointed out. "It tells me that he wanted to make sure that this really was what you wanted." He looked over at Ace. "And I'd trust him a lot less if he _had_ been interested in you when he thought you were a minor."

Ace huffed. "Yeah, I mean, that's a good thing, obviously. But still… it took a lot longer to get him to lighten up than I thought it would." He took another dish. "I don't know where this relationship is going, but I want it to keep going there, ya know?" He looked down at the plate in his hands. "And you didn't answer me - did you guys threaten him?"

"A bit," Sabo said, flashing him a grin. "I mean, we're your brothers. It's our job to look out for you, isn't it?"

"I bet he didn't even flinch," Ace teased, cheeks darkening a little. He was clearly touched by Sabo's words and trying not to show it. "So, did he pass?"

It was tempting to tease Ace a bit more before answering, but Sabo decided to put him out of his misery. "He passed," he said. "Passed, and Luffy-approved."

Ace relaxed a little, then flashed a bright grin. "Good to know." He paused at the sound of Luffy's cheers from the living room. "Looks like Luffy's winning."

Sabo let out a laugh. "Let's get this finished up and get back out there," he said. "Otherwise Luffy'll have Marco playing games with him all night."

"I'm glad they get along. Luffy always causes such a mess when he goes to the store, but Marco never gets mad at him," Ace murmured, grabbing the next dish. "Stern sometimes about things - like how many puppies Luffy can carry at once before he needs to put some of them back - but never _mad,_ and he never talks down to him or anything. And whenever any of Marco's siblings are helping out, they're just as nice."

"Luffy's got good instincts when it comes to people," Sabo commented, grinning broader at the mental image of Luffy with an armful of wriggling puppies. He was honestly surprised that Luffy hadn't tried to bring some of the residents of Marco's store home already - or had just _done_ it without asking first.

"Yeah," Ace agreed with a fond smile. "Remember what he said earlier? He really has been wanting a pet, you know. Maybe we should look into that."

Sabo tilted his head to the side, contemplating the suggestion. "Might not be a bad idea," he admitted. "With both of us going to college, you 'volunteering' at the shop, and me with my job, a pet could keep Luffy company."

"Maybe we should look around - see if we can get him interested in _one_ pet, and something he's able to look after," Ace chuckled, trying to ignore the implications in the way Sabo had said volunteering, like he was just looking for an excuse to visit Marco. He was, mostly, but that was beside the point - and actually getting a job there would have been weird now that they were officially dating. "Like a puppy or a kitten. He'll probably go for a puppy."

"I could see him with a puppy," Sabo agreed. "Does Marco have any at his store right now? You could take Luffy there, let him play with them, see if there's one he bonds with before we approach letting him have it."

"Well, he bonds with all of them, all the time," Ace pointed out. "But there _are_ puppies right now. Why don't we go see them tomorrow?"

"Works for me," Sabo agreed. "We'll go to the pet store first, and then to dinner after." He gave a laugh. "Maybe a stop home, if we end up leaving with a puppy right then and there." Knowing Luffy there was a good chance of it.

"Maybe we should go to lunch instead and pet shop _after,"_ Ace suggested. "If Luffy walks out of that place with a puppy he's going to take it with him everywhere. I doubt Thatch would mind it, but his customers might."

"Good point," Sabo agreed. "All right, so lunch first, pet shop after, and we prepare ourselves for the very real likelihood that we're going to have a puppy come tomorrow night. Let's just make sure we don't end up with more than one."

"That'll depend entirely on how well _you_ resist Luffy," Ace prodded, poking him in the side with the spoon he'd just finished drying.

Sabo smacked at his arm, and then focused back to his task. They finished the dishes amid laughter and banter, and when they were finally done, and the dishes were put away, they headed back into the other room to see how Luffy and Marco were doing.

It was obvious they'd started out sitting cross-legged in front of the television to play, but at some point they must have moved to lie on their stomachs, with Marco humoring Luffy and agreeing that the position made their attack combos do more damage in the game. The television was still flashing the victory screen for Luffy's character, but they were no longer playing. Luffy seemed to have tackled Marco in excitement on his last win - and then passed out, as he was prone to do after eating such a large serving of food.

Marco seemed completely at ease with Luffy draped over him and drooling.

"That's adorable - and also, sorry," Ace apologized, laughing and making his way over to collect Luffy. He wrapped his arms around Luffy's midsection and hauled him up, grunting at the effort it took with how limp Luffy was. "God, he's like a giant rubber _noodle_ when he gets like this."

"I'll help," Sabo said, coming over to give Ace a hand since Luffy was virtually boneless at the moment.

Marco grinned, rolling onto his back once Luffy was off of him and then sitting up. "No need to apologize, yoi," he said. "He really gets into games when he plays them. I'm glad he enjoyed himself."

"Sometimes he tries to do the actual fighting while hitting the buttons," Ace chuckled, plopping Luffy down on the couch with Sabo's help. "It's an easy way to get kicked in the gut if you're not watching him carefully."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time, yoi," Marco joked, rising to his feet. He watched the three brothers with an affectionate grin.

"Thanks for keeping him entertained," Sabo said, looking at Marco. "Sometimes it's hard to get the chores done because he's got so much energy, especially right after he eats - at least until he wears himself out and falls asleep on the spot."

'It's not a problem," Marco said with a shake of his head. "He's a good kid, yoi."

"Sabo and I were just talking about letting him get a puppy," Ace added, making his way back to Marco and wrapping his arms around his waist. "What do you think about going for lunch at Thatch's instead, then heading to the store to find him one?"

Marco slipped his arms around Ace's waist and kissed the top of his head, a gesture that seemed so natural for them that it made Sabo smile. "I think that's a great idea, yoi," Marco said with approval. He couldn't think of anyone more suited to owning a puppy than Luffy.

Ace gave a sappy smile, readily snuggling himself into Marco's arms and knowing Sabo would give them a few moments before clearing his throat or making them break it up. "I'm sorry my brothers threatened you," he murmured in a low, affectionate voice. "But I knew you'd be able to handle it."

"I've done the same with some of my siblings, yoi," Marco murmured, nuzzling at Ace's hair. "It means they care about you, and I can't have a problem with that."

Ace laughed softly and tightened his arms around Marco. "Well, I hope you like the idea of being around them more often. Because I love you, and now that we have their approval, there's no reason to hold back anymore, right?"

"None at all, yoi," Marco murmured. He couldn't resist leaning down to kiss Ace, brushing his lips tenderly against his lover's.

Ace immediately returned the kiss - though with more restraint than he would have if they'd been alone - and promptly pulled back when he heard Sabo's expected and _loud_ throat-clearing. "Alright, alright, we'll tone it down," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Just keeping you in check," Sabo said teasingly.

Marco chuckled, tucking Ace close and resting his head on top his. "We'll behave, yoi," he said. Though that only applied to when they were around Ace's brothers - once they were alone again, he had no intention of _behaving_.

"Yeah," Ace chuckled, looking over at Sabo. "Hey, why don't we watch a movie or something and see if Luffy wakes up? If he doesn't, Marco and I will just take off after the movie ends."

"Sure," Sabo agreed. "Go ahead and pick one out - I'll go make popcorn and get us something to drink." He headed back for the kitchen, leaving Marco and Ace alone in the room, save for the sleeping Luffy on the couch.

"I suppose I'll have to behave during the movie, too, yoi," Marco murmured, pressing a playful kiss to Ace's ear.

"That's not helping," Ace complained, pulling back with a teasing grin. "C'mon, they _just_ accepted the relationship. Do you want to get threatened again? They'll do it."

Marco chuckled. "All right, sorry," he said with a grin that did not _look_ apologetic. "I promise I'll wait at least a week before doing anything that might incur their wrath, yoi."

"I can live with that," Ace decided, leaning up to steal another kiss before Sabo returned. It was cut short by Luffy - who awoke the second they could smell the popcorn - but Ace simply flashed Marco an apologetic grin before they took their places on the couch with the sleepy bottomless pit that was Luffy. There would be plenty of time for kisses later, once they were alone. After all, with the awkward dating announcements and threats aside, Ace was nothing but confident in his relationship status.

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**A/N: Hope this is what you were looking for, Anon-chan! We enjoyed this one a lot.**

**Ty all for your kudos/reblogs/likes/reviews/prompts/messages/etc! You keep us going!**


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